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A CENTENNIAL 



COMMISSIONER IN EUROPE. 



1874-76. 



BY 



. 



JOHN W. FORNEY, 

EDITOK OF "THE PHILADELPHIA PRESS.' 







PHILADELPHIA! 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 

LONDON: 

16 SOUTHAMPTON STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 

1876. 



THE LIBRARY 
Of CONGRESS 

WASHINGTON 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 






ftf 



PREFACE. 



Immediately after my return home I was greeted 

by a general request that my letters from Europe 

should appear in book form ; and overrun as I was by 

a pressure of new engagements, I asked my old friend 

and co-laborer, Dr. R. Shelton Mackenzie, to see them 

through the press, which he has done with his usual 

fidelity. 

J. W. F. 

Philadelphia, April 20, 1876. 



(Hi) 



1776.] THE COMMISSION. [1876. 

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS MAY COME, GREET- 
ING. 

JOHN W. Forney, Esquire, of Philadelphia, is hereby authorized to 
represent the United States Centennial Commission and the Centennial 
Board of Finance in Great Britain and Ireland, and in the several nations 
of Europe, in the circulation of all the needful information for a proper 
understanding of the International Exhibition to be held in Philadelphia 
in 1876, and for the encouragement of the people of those nations to be 
represented therein by such of their productions as may exhibit the most 
advanced skill in every department of the fine and useful arts. Com- 
mending him earnestly to the respectful consideration of the people of all 
nations, soliciting their attention to his presentation of the International 
Exhibition, we are, etc., 

(Seal) (Signed) A. T. GOSHORN, 

Director- Genera I of the United States Commission. 
(Attest signed) JOHN L. Campbell, Secretary. 

(Seal) (Signed) John Welsh, 

President of Centennial Board of Finance. 
(Attest signed) FRED. FRALEY, Secretary. 

Philadelphia, July 10, 1874. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGB 

I. At Sea. — Approaching 1 Liverpool. —American Steamships. — 

The Centennial. — Future Market of the World . . 9 

II. "The Good Old Town" of Liverpool. — Noble Public Insti- 
tutions. — Former Complicity in the Slave-Trade . . 14 

III. Chester. — The Staffordshire Potteries. — The Ceramic Art. — 

Birmingham. — Stratford. — Kenilworth. — Leamington. — 
University of Oxford 18 

IV. London to Folkestone and Boulogne. — England and France 

Contrasted, with a Side-Look at America. — Paris during 
the Siege, with Especial Reference to the Commissariat 
Department. — A Model Boarding-House. — Present Con- 
dition of the Gay Capital 24 

V. France Reorganizes her Armies. — The Civil Service. — 
French and English. — The Centennial Feeling Abroad — 
Art News and Gossip. — The New French Opera-House. 

— What it Costs to Live in Paris 30 

VI. Hampton Court Palace. — Holland House. — Marden Park. 

— Hotel Life. — Mrs. Dion Boucicault . . . -37 

VII. Scientific Farming. — Mr. Lawes of Herts. — Succession and 

Variations of Crops. — St. Albans Abbey . . . -41 
VIII. A Professional Naturalist. — Zoological Gardens in London 

and Philadelphia ........ 46 

IX. Dulwich College. — Endowments by and for Actors . . 48 
X. Municipal London. — Lord Mayor's Feast. — Official Costume 

and Insignia ......... 50 

XI. Windsor Castle, an Exterior View. — Its Scenery and Sur- 
roundings • • • • 53 

XII. In Whitefield's Chapel. — Mr. Bevan's Experiences in America 57 

XIII. Captain Coram and Stephen Girard. — The Foundling Hos- 

pital in London 61 

XIV. Lyceum Theatre. — First Night of Henry Irving's " Hamlet." 63 
XV. Crystal Palace at Sydenham ...... 67 

XVI. Moncure D. Conway in the Pulpit. — His Peculiar Disbeliefs 72 
XVII. Harrow-on-the-Hill. — Records of Illustrious Schoolboys . 75 

(v) 



VI 

XVIII. 
XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 
XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 

XXXI. 

XXXII. 

XXXIII. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 
XXXVII. 

XXXVIII. 
XXXIX. 

XL. 
XLI. 
XLII. 
LXIII. 
XL1V. 
XLV. 
XLVI. 



CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Flying Visit to Brighton 78 

Manchester and Rochdale. — Visit to John Bright, M.P., 
Tribune of the People ....... 79 

Monsignor Capel. — His Preaching. — Catholics in the 

United Kingdom -83 

England and the Centennial ...... 86 

Paris in New Year's Week. — Contrasted with London. — 
Centennial Enthusiasm ...... 90 

Louis Blanc. — The National Assembly in Session. — Ver- 
sailles and Washington ...... 92 

Lyons. — French Railway Travel. — Underpaid Foreign 
Labor .......... 95 

Lyons to Marseilles. — The Chateau d' If . . . . 100 

Cannes. — Scenery and Climate. — Lord Brougham's Cha- 
teau and Tomb ........ 102 

Nice. — Thronged with Citizens of the World. — Unfor- 
getting Patriots ........ 105 

Gamblers at Monaco. — Genoa. — Relics of Columbus. — 
The Bank of St. George ...... 107 

Italian Railways. — American Artists in Florence. — Sculp- 
ture 112 

Among American Artists in Rome 115 

American Church in Rome ...... 118 

The Three Powers in Rome. — Garibaldi at Home . .122 
Lafayette's Grandson. — His American and Family Sur- 
roundings. — Enthusiasm for the Centennial . . 125 
Captain Paul Boyton. — Swims across the English Chan- 
nel. — Queen Victoria's Telegram .... 128 

Chantilly Races.— The Courses and Stands. — Colonel 

Bridgland on Franco-American Stock . . . 131 
Bartholdi, the French Sculptor. — Scope of his Work . 137 
Art Sales in London. — Plethora of Wealth. — Bank De- 
posits . 141 

American and British Hotels ...... 145 

A " Blue Law" revived. — Sunday in London. — The 
People and the Sabbath. — Sunday Newspapers . . 147 

The Heralds' College in London 151 

London Newspaper Press Fund Dinner .... 159 

The Record Office in London. 164 

The Peabody Buildings ....... 169 

Visit to the Empress Eugenie 171 

Chatham Dock- Yard. — British Iron-clads . . . 175 
Relics of Early London 178 



CONTENTS. v ii 

PAGE 

XLVII. Canine Exhibition. — Home for Dogs. — Edwin Forrest's 

" Dog of Montargis" 180 

XLVIII. Fourth of July in London. — Journalism. — Political Aspect 186 
XLIX. The Streets of London. — Ancient and Modern Lighting 

of a City ......... 190 

L. Centennial Feeling in France. — Diorama of the Siege of 

Paris. — American Products and Securities . . . 193 
LI. Belgium and Germany. — The Centennial in Berlin . . 199 

LI I. Frankfort-on-the-Main 205 

LI II. Spa. — Gaming-Houses Suppressed. — Friends Abroad . 208 
LIV. Wiesbaden. — German Universities. — Champagne Man- 
ufacture .......... 213 

LV. Brussels. — Enthusiasm for the Centennial. — What Bel- 
gium has done ........ 217 

LVI. French Contributors to the Exposition .... 221 

LVII. Diving. — Surrender of Yorktown. — Dion Boucicault . 224 
LVIII. Bartholdi's Colossal Lighthouse. — M. Laboulaye. — Healy 

the Painter . 226 

LIX. The Continental and the English Sunday Street-watering 230 

LX. The Drama in London 232 

LXI. Sale of American Products Abroad ..... 238 

LXII. London Journalism on American Topics. — Politico-Re- 
ligious Issues ........ 253 

LXIII. Slang — American and English ...... 261 

LXIV. Wealth of London. — The Hebrew Race .... 267 

LXV. The Season at the Sea-Shore ...... 270 

LXVI. The Civil Service Supply Association .... 273 

LXVII. National Education . 277 

LXVIII. Catholic Cathedral at Westminster 282 

LXIX. Chipping Norton. — A Master of the Hounds. — An An- 
cient Manufactory 2S4 

LXX. The Black Country 294 

LXXI. Centennial Items 302 

LXXII. A National Cat-Show 305 

LXXIII. Panic on 'Change. — Turkish Insolvency and American 

Securities . 310 

LXXIV. European Financial Insecurity. — Atlantic Cable Tariff. 

— Restaurant Prices 314 

LXXV. Stonehenge. — Old and New Sarum ..... 319 

LXXVI. Accession of Italy to the Centennial. — The Bartholdi 

Monument ......... 330 

LXXYII. Mr. P. Cunliffe Owen's Centennial Suggestion for 1976. 

— A Curious Old Volume 333 



viii CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

LXXVIII. Russia and Italy come in 338 

LXXIX. The Six Hundred of Balaklava. — Tennyson's "Charge 

of the Light Brigade," and Drayton s " Agincourt" 340 
LXXX. High Tone of the British Press. — Earl of Darnley's 

Strange Proceeding 347 

LXXXI. Foreign Exhibitors. — The Gramme Light . . . 351 
LXXXII. Queen Victoria. — Murmurs of the Press. — Her Char- 
acter of John Brown 354 

LXXXIII. Russia, Tunis, and France at the Exposition . . 358 
LXXXIV. Martin Farquhar Tupper's drama of " Washington" . 361 
LXXXV. Social Gathering in Paris. — M. Laboulaye's Eloquence 368 
LXXXVI. Captain Harrell. — The " Herald" Reading-Room in 

Paris 372 

LXXXVII. The Suez Canal 374 

LXXXVIII. Mr. P. Cunliffe Owen, C.B 379 

LXXXIX. "The Times" 383 

XC. Queen Victoria opens the Parliamentary Session of 1876. 386 

XCI. Weston the Pedestrian 389 

XCII. The Change in British Feeling 393 

XCIII. Homeward Bound 399 

XCIV. Conclusion 404 



A CENTENNIAL COMMISSIONER 
IN EUROPE. 



i. 



At Sea. — Approaching Liverpool. — American Steamships. — The Centen- 
nial. — Future Market of the World. 

When Dr. Samuel Johnson described a ship as a prison 
with a fair chance in which to be drowned, he had no such 
vision as a steamer like the Illinois. A century ago, when 
the great philosopher wrote and talked, the world had not 
been roused from its sleep, and men traversed sea and land 
by slow and often painful methods. We left Philadelphia 
at 8.30 a.m., Thursday, July 9, 1874, and from that hour 
to the present the trip has been a summer excursion, 
slightly varied by a little sickness among the passengers. 
It was like one family party on a pleasure-jaunt. When 
I got aboard I found that I knew nearly everybody, and 
certainly that everybody knew me. Herein lies the charm 
of this Philadelphia line. Apart from the superior, stanch 
sea-going qualities of the ships, their multiplied modern 
conveniences, and the stern discipline of their manage- 
ment, the fact that they are floating homes makes them 
peculiarly attractive. They are in all respects American : 
organized in America, with American accommodations, 
a* 9 



IO AMERICAN STEAMSHIPS. 

the only vessels bound to Europe floating the American 
flag, built of American wood and iron, by American me- 
chanics, at an American port. You feel as you enter them 
as if you were entering your own residence. 

Everybody is well and happy. There have been several 
hot days, and sleep has been disturbed, but not more than 
in many a house ashore. The discipline is so good, the 
ventilation so unexceptionable, and the behavior of the pas- 
sengers to one another so cordial, that nobody complains. 
The price of a ticket from Philadelphia to San Francisco 
by rail is one hundred and forty dollars, exclusive of meals. 
The price to Liverpool from Philadelphia by the Illinois, 
board included, is, for the cabin, seventy-five to one hun- 
dred dollars; intermediate, thirty-five dollars; steerage, 
twenty-five dollars; from which you can see how much 
cheaper it is to see the Old World than it is to visit only a 
portion of your own country. Many wealthy people are 
intermediates, who pay but thirty-five dollars, and the 
steerage company includes many intelligent persons, from 
whom I have gathered much information. They are going 
to England and Ireland to see their parents or their friends, 
to return after a short stay to their adopted country. 
Though emigration has largely fallen off, few of our for- 
eign population go back to Europe to remain. Many of 
those on the Illinois have grown rich in America, and look 
forward to their native places in Europe with the more in- 
terest that, having left them very poor, they return well off 
in the world. I could name several who left Europe forty 
years ago, young and destitute, and are ar present prosper- 
ous and influential. How such examples operate I need 
not discuss. They are the most effective of all agencies. 
There are no such characters sent forth from any other 
country. They are our best missionaries. In England 
there is a system under which, no matter how fortunate 
Capital may be, Labor never rises to the hopeful and con- 



THE CENTENNIAL. n 

trolling attitude it maintains in America. It is this dif- 
ference that must largely affect the destinies of the two 
countries ; a difference that will be strikingly developed 
in 1S76. Our World's Exhibition, growing rapidly and 
largely in the eyes of foreigners, will of necessity be the 
event of the age. As an eminent Englishman remarked 
to me in Washington a few months ago: "Your Centen- 
nial is important to Great Britain in every sense, but 
chiefly in a commercial sense. Your manufacturers are 
our successful rivals in many branches. We must open 
new avenues for our fabrics, and your fair is our oppor- 
tunity." 

Manage that Exposition as we may, it will therefore 
greatly affect the United States abroad. I learn from good 
authority that it is becoming a topic of general discussion 
in Europe ; and now that the Government has directed 
our diplomatic and consular representatives abroad to give 
it attention, and that hundreds of voluntary agencies are 
at work in the persons of American travellers, there is con- 
stant inducement to the Centennial Commissioners to in- 
crease their exertions. They need not be told that this 
memorial is not the work of one government among many 
on the same continent. It is not like England in 1851 
and i860, or France in 1867, or Austria in 1873 — tne 
affair of one people only. It is the demonstration of an 
entire continent, and of the dominant power of that con- 
tinent — a power which is the best customer of England, 
and one of the best of France ; which is largely occupied 
by an immense infusion of Irish blood and brain ; which 
has drawn and is drawing heavily upon the energies of 
Germany; and which is an object of growing interest to 
every other foreign country. No such elements operated in 
any of the former European expositions. They were mag- 
nificent displays of art, science, and invention ; but they 
had none of th-.- peculiarities of the American Centennial. 



12 FUTURE MARKET OF THE WORLD. 

Each spoke for a particular government or race. That of 
America must of necessity reflect the ideas of the children 
of many races ; must attract the attention of the leaders 
of every school. In fact, the American Centennial is the 
Genesis of a new civilization. 

The enthusiasm of the passengers on the Illinois in re- 
gard to Philadelphia and the Centennial is a study. I 
hope they will pardon me when they read this for saying 
that it made me very happy. Gathered from every walk 
in life, and from every portion of the State, each seems to 
be full of the subject. This is singularly true of the 
adopted citizens who are going home to see their friends 
in Ireland, England, and Germany. They are all proud 
of the city and State in which they have grown rich. They 
will tell the story of their rise from poverty to wealth 
among their proud and wondering friends at home, and 
they will not fail to relate the story of the Centennial. 
Lawyers, doctors, actors and artists, correspondents and 
editors, all seem to be animated by the same feeling. 
Confidence in ourselves is the key to the future; make 
that universal, and the end is sure. 

I am more than ever impressed, as I see the good results 
produced by our noble American-built steamers, with their 
heavy freights, full complement of happy passengers, and 
excellent management, as to the paramount justice of pro- 
tecting American' manufactures. All late experience proves 
that what we call free trade helps foreign capitalists alone. 
On the other hand, e>ery aid granted by Congress to 
American capital, in the development of American industry 
or resources, healthfully reacts 1 upon the masses and upon 
government. What peopled the West, what gave us the 
mighty empire on the Pacific, but the principle of govern- 
ment protection to American enterprise? 

If this Government had not bought California, had not 
helped individual enterprise to build the Pacific Railroad 



FUTURE MARKET OF THE WORLD. 



*3 



and to rival British steamers on the Pacific, we should be 
at the mercy of our European rivals, with no such States 
as Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, and Ne- 
braska, and no such treasure-houses of gold and wheat as 
California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. To-day we 
are masters of the trade of the future, by English confes- 
sion. Our tariff saves us from the rivalry of the pauper- 
paid products of England. Our well-paid workmen are 
forcing their way even into the British market. Our ship- 
ping interest, destroyed by the rebellion, is retarded alone 
by the fact that British ships can be built cheaper by the 
cheap labor of Europe. England has free trade only to 
help herself. She builds railroads in India with English 
money, given by millions and almost hundreds of millions 
of dollars, to check the advance of her rival, Russia. She 
subsidized her ocean steamers heavily up to the period 
when she felt she might withdraw her help, because America 
might become her customer for cheap steamers on the 
Clyde. At the beginning of this century she was the most 
despotic protectionist of her own interests in the world. 
No improved machinery could be sent from Liverpool to 
America, lest the latter might compete with England in 
the markets of America. To-day, her best customer and 
also her most formidable rival is this same America. It 
remains for us to say whether we shall consent to a policy 
which leaves us wholly at the mercy of a power which is 
free trade or protection, as it suits her interests or incli- 
nation. 

If our statesmen of both parties desire to relieve the 
country, let them relieve our industries, build more Pacific 
railroads, revive our shipyards, and freely subsidize our 
great steam lines on the ocean. There is nothing England 
fears so much as tin's policy. Establish it firmly, and main- 
tain it for a reasonable period, and you transfer the market 
of the world from London to Philadelphia or New York. 

2 



14 LIVERPOOL. 

There can be no geographical centre when we divide the 
earth with steam and lightning. The nation most success- 
ful in preserving its independence by the development of 
its own resources is sure ultimately to revolutionize and 
control the world. 

July 20, 1874. 



II. 



"The Good Old Town" of Liverpool. — Noble Public Institutions. — For- 
mer Complicity in the Slave-Trade. 

Comparatively few Americans stop at Liverpool ; they 
hurry through to the great world of London, and thereby 
lose much of interest in the leading seaport of the nations. 
Liverpool is a very interesting town. Its present popula- 
tion is 493,405, and yet its commerce is larger than that of 
any other port on earth. It is the distinctive "City of the 
Sea," situated on the eastern bank of the estuary of the 
Mersey, very near its junction with the Irish Channel, in 
the county of Lancaster, one hundred miles west of Leeds, 
two hundred and one miles northwest of London, two 
hundred and twelve miles south of Edinburgh, two hundred 
and twenty miles southeast of Glasgow, and one hundred 
and twenty miles east of Dublin. 

What especially interests the American in modern Liver- 
pool are the municipal government, the streets, and the 
public buildings. Three members of Parliament are elected 
for Liverpool ; there are forty-eight Councillors, sixteen 
Aldermen, and a Mayor. The office of Mayor is generally 
conferred on the most distinguished citizen. It is the 
universal verdict that no taint of corruption attaches to 
any of these servants of the people. 

The environs are exquisitely beautiful, and the gre.it 



LIVERPOOL. 



15 



parks objects of ever-renewing interest. Stanley Park, 
opened in 1S70, cost the Corporation about one hundred 
and fifty thousand pounds sterling. The view from this 
splendid enclosure, laid out in walks, drives, grass-plots, 
and flower-beds, and adorned by a spacious ornamental 
lake, opens before you extensive glimpses of the surround- 
ing country and the distant ocean. Sefton Park, an area 
of four hundred acres, purchased from the Earl of Sefton 
at a cost of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling, 
is singularly picturesque, opening out a noble prospect of 
the adjacent residences of the nobility and gentry. There, 
also, is the celebrated Prince's Park. 

The churches are very numerous, representing every de- 
nomination; some of them are inconceivably grand. I was 
particularly struck with the Exchange News Rooms. We 
happened to arrive just as the merchants were congregating, 
and their appearance, dignity, manner of speech, and cos- 
tume, altogether indicated refinement and great wealth. 
In the quadrangular area of the Exchange stands a monu- 
ment to the memory of Lord Nelson, a colossal work of 
art, erected at an expense of nine thousand pounds ster- 
ling. The News Rooms cover an area of one thousand 
and eighty-four feet, and one room is one hundred and five 
feet in length and ninety in breadth, exclusive of the bar. 
The height is fifty feet to the base of the dome or ceiling. 
At night this room is lighted by eight massive chandeliers, 
and here are found not only the subscribers, of whom there 
are four thousand, but strangers from all parts of the world. 

St. George's Hall is a magnificent structure ; the organ, 
by Willis of London, is one of the largest instruments in the 
world, and of stupendous power. I noticed statues in honor 
of Sir Robert Peel, Sir William Brown, Joseph Mayer (the 
bountiful donor and founder of the museum which bears 
his name), George Stephenson, the late Lord Derby, and 
Mr. Gladstone. The total length of this splendid edifice 



:6 NOBLE PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 

is four hundred and sixty-five feet. At the northern end 
there is an equestrian statue of Queen Victoria, finished in 
1S71, to correspond with the statue of the late Prince 
Albert. 

Brown's Free Public Library and Museum was pre- 
sented by the late Sir William Brown. The corner-stone 
was laid in 1857, and the building finished in October, 
1 £60, at a cost of forty thousand pounds. Here is the 
great collection of potteries and the noble collection of 
birds bequeathed to Liverpool by the late Lord Derby, 
and here is also deposited the munificent gift known as 
the " Mayer Collection," a remarkable product of energy 
and perseverance, the life-work of one man. The Free 
Library is supported by the public, and is open from ten 
a.m. to ten p.m. When we came in, many persons, men 
and women, evidently of the middle class, were seated 
reading at the desks. In addition to these treasures I must 
not forget the representative collection of ceramic works, 
said to be the most perfect specimens of the great Wedg- 
wood. The services are very rich, and there is one of the 
thirty copies which were made of the Portland Vase. The 
value of this collection is upwards of one hundred and 
twenty thousand pounds, not including the gift of Mr. 
Mayer and a most extensive collection of coins. 

The Corporation Baths occupy a handsome building of 
two hundred and thirty-nine feet in length and eighty- 
seven feet in breadth, with separate divisions for both sexes, 
and are fitted up very elegantly. The water is taken from 
the Mersey into a spacious tank, capable of receiving eight 
hundred tons, and then raised by steam-engines into a 
reservoir, where it is filtered until it becomes as clear as 
crystal. The charges are for warm baths, twopence, four- 
pence, and eighteenpence ; for cold baths, threepence and 
sixpence ; warm shower-baths, sixpence. Precisely such 
an establishment is grievously needed in Philadelphia. 



FORMER COMPLICITY IN THE SLAVE-TRADE. 



17 



In Liverpool the American meets for the first time the 
well-known cab called the " Hansom." Here also are our 
familiar street railroads. 

Such a thing as a telegraph-pole — the unsightly nuisance 
which disfigures all our American cities — is unknown in 
England. The wires are stretched along the tops of the 
houses, or are laid under the streets, and I am constantly 
asking why the same plan is not adopted in our country. 

You have an explanation of the hostility at Liverpool to 
the North during our civil war, when you are reminded 
that from this port, in 1760, one-quarter of its vessels were 
engaged in the inhuman Slave-Trade. No fewer than 
ninety vessels engaged in this nefarious traffic sailed from 
this one city alone, and carried about twenty-five thousand 
seven hundred and fifty slaves. Privateering also engaged 
the capital of many of the merchants, precisely as blockade- 
running did from i860 to 1865. It is pleasing to know 
that the bitterness and anger too common in this great town 
eight and ten years ago is succeeded by an evident desire 
to promote amicable arrangements with the United States. 

July, 1874. 



2* 



THE STAFFORDSHIRE POTTERIES. 



III. 



Chester. — The Staffordshire Potteries. — The Ceramic Art. — Birmingham. 
— Stratford. — Kenilworth. — Leamington. — University of Oxford. 

What a garden is England ! There is infinite progress 
in the large towns, but the beauty of the country must be 
the work of the ages. The old castles, the ancient inns, 
the super-solid roads, the vast estates, closed in with high 
stone or brick walls, the narrow streets, even the small 
towns, are so many evidences of the centuries of experience 
through which this great country has attained its present 
strong position. 

You leave Liverpool by rail, and after a short ride reach 
the famous and ancient city of Chester, with its cathedral 
eight hundred years old ; the curious wall that still sur- 
rounds it, from one tower of which Charles I. saw his 
army routed by the hosts of Cromwell ; the ancient "Rows," 
distinctly recalling a period far remote ; the Castle, a record 
in stone of the Roman occupation ; and the luxurious estate 
of the new Duke of Westminster, Eaton Hall. 

After a good night's rest in Chester at the principal 
hotel, "The Queen's," we started for the Staffordshire 
Potteries, traversing a region of varied interest and beauty. 
The miniature houses and gardens at most of the stations 
looked like toy-shops, with their flowers woven into all 
sorts of figures and forms, and seemed an odd set-off to 
the great palaces of the gentry and nobility, of which we 
had glimpses in the distance. The history of the world is 
traced in the progress of the earthen, glass, or stone arti- 
cles of the saloon, the parlor, the library, and the kitchen, 
used by the respective nations. Under the generic name 



THE STAFFORDSHIRE POTTERIES. 



*9 



of pottery, which includes all the varieties of earthenwork, 
from porcelain down, you go back to the fifteenth and six- 
teenth centuries in Italy, Belgium, Germany, France, and 
in the seventeenth and eighteenth to England. England 
unquestionably leads in supplying the demand of most 
countries with all the varieties of these elegant and useful 
works. I was attracted to the Potteries by the growing 
interest in the ceramic art in the United States, illustrated 
by the enterprise at Trenton, N. J., and by the immense 
sums of money spent in our great cities for the products 
of these English manufactories. 

Our visit to the Potteries in Staffordshire was a revela- 
tion. The district in which they are located is only about 
ten miles in length by one and a half in width ; yet into 
this narrow space are crowded two hundred and sixty estab- 
lishments, of which one hundred and thirty-four are devoted 
to earthenware, sixty to china, twenty-six to Parian, and 
forty miscellaneous. Here most of the finest wares and 
ornaments are manufactured, and thousands of persons are 
employed. The clays are mainly English; some are dug 
in the vicinity of Burslem. The English trade dates back 
into the seventeenth century. In i 759, Josiah Wedgwood, 
whose marble statue at Stoke-on-Trent attracts much atten- 
tion, invented the exquisite adaptations, including terra- 
cotta, jasper, and the famous queen's-ware so much in 
fashion a few years ago, that made him illustrious in 
English history. 

We traversed the renowned Minton works, in which the 
finest conceptions of Wedgwood and his successors are 
wrought into marvellous forms by the skill of the present 
age. I was surprised at its comparatively small and an- 
cient appearance. Yet here were fourteen hundred men 
and women, boys and girls, closely engaged. The show- 
room was a treasure of vases, flowers, figures, goblets, with 
curious devices of all ages and tastes, copies of the long- 



20 BIRMINGHAM. 

gone past and models of the living present. The process 
of manufacture was very curious. Here was the clay in its 
plastic state turned into inconceivable shapes by the wheel 
of the machinery and the cunning of the human hand ; the 
kneaded lump worked into cup and saucer, bowl and 
goblet, next passed into another room to dry, then to 
another to receive the picture, then to the oven to be 
annealed into perfect beauty. The exquisite statuettes we 
see in terra-cotta in our windows at Gay's, Tyndale & 
Mitchell's, Caldwell's, and Bailey's, with the flower-baskets 
and bouquets, and the wonderful conceits on walls and 
pillars, all come hence. It was a liberal education to 
watch how skilfully the artists did their work, and how 
quickly. 

There was, however, in all this rapid review a practical 
side. I allude to what are known as "encaustic tiles," 
which have become an essential feature in nearly every 
public and private building in England, and which, as 
contributing to beauty, cleanliness, and durability, and 
freedom from vermin, I hope to see covering the sides and 
ceilings of our American houses. They are sometimes 
used on our floors, but rarely on the sides and ceilings of 
our rooms and halls. They are not so cheap as our modern 
processes, such as what we call calcimining, but they out- 
last all other methods. 

From Stoke we rode to Birmingham — a robust, healthy, 
noble town ! We came into it with a sort of moral pro- 
logue worthy of remembrance and imitation in Philadel- 
phia. The railroad station is over a mile from our hotel. 
We took a four-wheeled hack. Two friends who were with 
me asked, as we started, "How much apiece?" I said, 
"One shilling." We got to the hotel, and each offered 
his shilling to Cabby. He said, "No, gentlemen, my 
charge is only a shilling for all." 

Birmingham had a population of 444,545 at the last 



BIRMINGHAM. 21 

census, and 65,371 inhabited houses. In 1841 the popula- 
tion was only 182,122, a growth that, large as it is, bears 
no proportion to the increase of Chicago or St. Louis. 
We must look at a k\v of the products of Birmingham to 
see the diversified capacity of this wonderful workshop 
of the nations. In its rifle-factories it employs 4328 per- 
sons; in brass, 3892; in locomotives, 1661 ; in iron, 
1561 ; in buttons, 1578; it has goldsmiths, 2477; coach- 
makers, 1 1 48. Women are largely employed in lace, 
polishing, japanning, ribbons, steel pens, silk, and cotton. 
I name these occupations to show how nearly they are 
similar with ours ; and when I showed a friend in Bir- 
mingham how many people are employed in Philadelphia, 
and at what wages, and our population, the value of our 
annual products, the number of our houses, many owned 
by our mechanics, he exclaimed, "And this is only one 
of your cities ! What you tell me of New York, Chicago, 
and St. Louis, is equally wonderful. Of course, I will be 
at the Centennial." 

The churches and hospitals of Birmingham impressed 
me beyond utterance. The Hospital of St. Thomas was 
founded in 1285 ! St. Martin's Church is so old that its 
origin is lost, and the foundation of the present structure 
belongs to the early part of the thirteenth century ! The 
public buildings are superb, as you may judge when the 
town hall is one hundred and forty-five feet in length, 
sixty-five in width, and in height sixty-five. Here John 
Bright, who represents Birmingham, has frequently spoken 
to four thousand persons. I cannot describe its parks, 
its railroad stations, its great Exchange, its theatres, its 
statues, its devotional temples, its great colleges. 

Stratford-on-Avon is about twenty-six miles from Bir- 
mingham, and a pleasant ride it was. We had a second- 
class car, and a first-class farmer to talk to. "Your crop 
is thin this year," I said. "Yes," he replied; "we have 



2 2 STRA TFORD.— WAR WICK. 

had little rain to speak of. Pray, are you not Americans?" 
"Yes, all three." " You like England ?" "Very much, 
but our own country ever so much more." " I don't won- 
der ; my boy is away over yonder in Marysville, California, 
and is doing right well, sir, and he is asking me to come to 
him." "Are you well off here, sir ?" "Very nice, indeed, 
but we need our boy." " Stay where you are and let him 
come to you, as he can for a small sum, if he is only sober 
and good." "I thank you, sir. Here you are in Strat- 
ford, and you will find Shakspeare waiting for you. He 
has a strong, warm side for you Americans." 

Stratford, like all the show towns of England, is swept 
clean as a parlor. The streets in these places are a marvel. 
The rain here cools the air, but never makes mire. The 
sun never makes ague. Americans were in force at Shak- 
speare's house and grave. The English were few. No 
French ; no Dutch ; no Italians, and few Germans ! Nearly 
all Yankees — keen, sharp, cultured, generous, grateful; 
never tell me America does not love England and her 
treasures. 

We posted across the country from Stratford to Kenil- 
worth, Warwick, Guy's Cliff, and Leamington. How level 
the road ! Great oaks or beeches, large, fine houses of the 
gentry, suffocating villages of the poor, strong beer and 
bad gin, no population on the roads, all elegant, odorous, 
and silent — a breezy day and a desolate distance. We saw 
Warwick, its entrance carved through stone, its lordly halls 
half ruined by the fire of 1871, its pictures by the oldest 
artists, the bed in which Queen Mary slept, the great tower 
— and having duly paid our shilling apiece at the Castle, 
and our sixpence to see the great " Warwick Vase," found 
in the Emperor Adrian's villa at Tivoli, capable of hold- 
ing one hundred and sixty-eight gallons, we retired, and 
posted on to Kenilworth, five miles. When we got there 
the lovely evening had made a picture of the venerable 



UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. 2 % 

place, not less lovely because there were sweet children 
and ladies on the lawn, and an artist, with his canvas on a 
portable frame, painting the scene from the green fore- 
ground. Here you stand in the midst of the centuries. 
From Henry I. to Elizabeth, Kenilworth was the theatre 
of war, diplomacy, and intrigue. Earl Clarendon is the 
present owner. 

From Kenilworth to Leamington is about five miles. 
If Kenilworth is redolent of the past, Leamington is the 
trophy of the present. It is the growth of modern man- 
ners and customs — a mitigated sort of Saratoga — its heal- 
ing waters and historic surroundings attracting crowds. 
England never suffers from what we know as summer. 
When Americans run off to the mountains and seaside in 
July, " the season" is at its height in London. 

From Leamington by rail to another cluster of the cen- 
turies — Oxford — fifty-five miles from London. Here we 
stood among the stony records of ages of literature. From 
Alfred to Victoria we read the story of the gigantic growth 
of England. Over eight thousand students gather in these 
venerable chambers. Twenty-one Colleges and six Halls 
constitute what is called the University. One library — the 
Bodleian, of three hundred thousand volumes, next to the 
British Museum ; a vast procession of portraits of the great 
graduates and chiefs of the venerable institution ; ancient 
groves, and lawns, and alcoves, with "Addison's Walk," 
recalling the memory of the gentle Spectator. You might 
give a week, a month, a year, to Oxford, and still find 
material for interest and information. 

August, 1874. 



24 LONDON TO BOULOGNE. 



IV. 



London to Folkestone and Boulogne. — England and France Contrasted, 
with a Side-Look at America. — Paris during the Siege, with Especial 
Reference to the Commissariat Department. — A Model Boarding-House. 
— Present Condition of the Gay Capital. 

From London, with Mr. McMichael, to look into Paris 
and to see if we could not together help the Centennial 
before he returns, is a ten hours' ride. A trip ticket costs, 
going and coming, about twenty-five dollars in a first- 
class carriage. Seven years ago I crossed from Dover to 
Calais ; last week we crossed from Folkestone to Boulogne, 
and both times the sea was as smooth as the De'aware, be- 
tween Philadelphia and Camden, on a summer evening. 

Folkestone was full of English people seeking health from 
the sea. The English girls are not nearly so lovely as ours, 
yet they excel in " the low sweet voice." They are never 
loud, and the flexibility and sweetness of their tones are, 
let me say it, in strong contrast to the too often sharp and 
aggressive utterance of our ladies. Call it affectation, if 
you please, the cultured English speak the best English. 
And now we are at Boulogne — the Boulogne of English 
bankrupts in olden railroad times escaping from hungry 
creditors. How French, how white, how sandy, and how 
sunny! Where are all the people? The day is not hot ; 
but, save the idlers on the long bridge, Fashion seems to 
have gone asleep. Two hours ago I left England, and 
here is France ! Engl.ind, robust, ruddy, and self-assuring 
— France, prim, peculiar, and opinionated. At Folkestone 
the sea-shore was full of gayly-dressed crowds, and there 
was hardly any visible commerce. At Boulogne there were 



ENGLAND AND FRANCE CONTRASTED. 



2 5 



great ships unloading, and sailors and tar and nets and an 
''ancient and fishlike smell." Workingmen in blue blouses, 
and women without bonnets or caps, old and young, with 
curious shoes, some wooden and some slippers. It was a 
picturesque contrast. 

From Boulogne to Paris, a long waste of nearly two 
hundred miles of willows and poplars and the sepulchral 
stone that prevails in France from chateau to cottage; 
women in the fields cutting the grass and grain, following 
the horses, and bending over among the vegetables for the 
towns. It was so dry and white, and evidently so sterile, 
and the crops looked so thin, and the little houses so 
broken, and the roads so ghastly white, that I shut my 
eyes and longed for the green lanes of England or for the 
broad, fresh acres of Chester and Lancaster in my own 
native Pennsylvania, to come back to me. 

I have been staying since my arrival in Paris at Madame 
Dijon's Pension, 29 Rue Caumartin. A pension is a board- 
ing-house, but it is very different from that institution as 
we know it in Philadelphia. You get into it, as you do 
into most Paris edifices, public and private, by what looks 
like the gate of a great stable or barnyard. The house 
is built round a court, and the windows of nearly all 
the rooms, instead of opening into the street, look down 
into this court. You ring at the outer gate, which swings 
open, and a Frenchwoman, who talks no English, motions 
you to the first floor, which ought to be the second, but is 
not, and there you meet Madame Dijon, who, happily, 
talks French and English, and is a sharp, curly lady, who 
has divided her century with a smile for the wintry half 
upon which she has entered. Think of it — nine francs a 
day (about two dollars of our money), with a good room, 
good bed, attendance, and meals ! That is what her 
boarders pay. At the Grand Hotel, the L'Athenee, and 
the Louvre, you escape well at twenty-five francs, or six 



2 6 PARIS DURING THE SIEGE. 

dollars a day. Better bread, butter, coffee, omelets, beef- 
steak, fruit, or pastry, than you get from Madame Dijon, 
could not be provided. Two meals a day — breakfast from 
nine to eleven ; dinner from six to eight. Waffles at 
breakfast and wine at dinner included in the nine francs. 
Madame Dijon has about thirty boarders, and her fine fare 
and low rates attract about thirty more from the hotels, 
and she is rich, having been at the business for forty years. 

Madame was in Paris during the siege and the Commune, 
and although, as I talked to her, she was a little chary 
about the cats, I thought she yielded a little on the question 
of horse. I have before me now a curious little record of 
the sufferings of the Paris people during these terrible in- 
tervals. It is entitled " Diary of the Siege of Paris," taken 
from GalignanV s Messenger, the English paper, and was 
written by one of the editors and owners of that great 
journal, J. C. Mackenzie, Esq., the brother of Dr. Mac- 
kenzie of The Press. I fear if Madame Dijon ever reads 
these pages she will think I betrayed her secret, but as I 
may not see Paris often before the next Centennial, 1976, 
I venture a few extracts from this little book. It is the 
journal of one hundred and thirty-two days during which, 
to employ Mr. Mackenzie's language, " Paris was hemmed 
in by an impenetrable circle of iron. The railways had 
been cut, the post-office was no longer able to transmit 
letters, and the telegraph lines had ceased to act— in fact, 
the great French capital had been as much debarred from 
communication with the outer world as if it had been all at 
once reduced to the very lowest depth in the scale of civil- 
ization." 

After chaffing Madame Dijon about the food she supplied 
to her boarders during these one hundred and thirty-two 
days, and conversing with the author of this interesting 
little volume, I was not surprised to read in it such state- 
ments as these : 



PARTS DURING THE SIEGE. 



27 



Sept. 29, 1870.— Provisions rising in price ; fresh butter, 4 francs a pound ; 
a fowl, 6 francs ; a rabbit, 7 francs. 

Oct. 8. — All salt provisions have now disappeared from the market, and 
there is no butter to be found there ; a lean fowl, 8 francs; a fat one, 12 
francs; carp, 10 to 12 francs. Asses' flesh has appeared on some of the 
stalls at 1 franc 25 centimes the pound. 

Oct. 12. — Horseflesh eaten very generally, and considered palatable. 
Turkeys have risen to 25 francs (#5), and some to 30 francs; chickens, 
12 francs. 

Oct. 15. — Provisions continue to advance in prices. 

Oct. 22. — Provisions scarcer every day ; ass, 3 francs the pound ; horse- 
rump steak, 5 francs the pound. 

Nov. 16. — A shop opened in Belleville for the sale of dogs, cats, rats, and 
sparrows. 

Dec. 1. — Seventy-ninth day of the siege. Weather dreadfully severe, 
four degrees below zero. 

Dec. 3. — Mortality increasing in consequence of the terrible cold ; a 
turkey, 70 francs (about $16). 

Dec. 10. — Fresh butter, 30 francs the pound ; a turkey, 95 francs ; nearly 
all the gas-lamps without lights; theatrical representations entirely at an end. 

Dec. 16. — At Central Market, horse fillet, 16 francs a pound; dog, 3 
francs per pound ; a rabbit, 30 to 35 francs ; a turkey, 100 francs (about $2u). 

Dec. 25. — Horses of the Paris Cab Company reduced from 4000 to 1000, 
part taken for the army, the rest for human food ; a turkey, no francs ; a 
duck, 36 ; a rabbit, 40; a chicken, 30. 

Dec. 26. — The bodies of the animals of one of the public zoological 
gardens exposed for sale for food. The camel, dromedary, kangaroo, and 
elephant, 10 francs a pound; antelopes, stags, and bears, 15 francs at first, 
then 20 ; large sale of dead dogs and cats in the Market St. Germain at 
about 30 francs the pound. 

Dec. orj. — Outcry for wood becoming more and more desperate, poorer 
classes at night pulling down palisades and wooden defences. 

Dec. 31. — Mortality, afflicting to say, much increased. In the market a 
turkey sells for 180 francs; a goose, 150; eggs, 3 francs (60 cents) apiece. 

jfan. 1, 1871. — One hundred and fifth day of the siege. The writer ot 
these brief items was to-day waited on by his landlord, a man of large 
property, probably 150,000 francs a year, and after the usual compliments 
of the season, very gravely stated that in ordinary times he would most 
probably have offered a box of bonbons or some other such trifle, but at 
the present time he would show his esteem by bringing something useful, 
at the same time presenting his tenant a paper bag containing 25 potatoes. 
Present received with gratitude. 

There are over two millions of people in Paris, and as I 



2 8 THE BOULEVARDS. 

pass along these boulevards and streets, walking or riding, 
it is almost impossible to believe these statements; and yet 
with such a witness, whose figures are facts, and whose facts 
are tragedies, we dare not question. 

We are on the Boulevards. What a variety of costumes 
and of character ; what a medley of the nations ! On 
these benches and under these trees, we see the old men 
and women looking the last of life, and the young making 
love for the generations to come. A beautiful thing in 
Paris is the devotion of the children to their parents. The 
son with his mother on one side, and his sweetheart on the 
other, is a familiar sight. The blue blouse of the work- 
man is seen near the broadcloth of the parvenu. Before 
the private houses gather the old and the young to see the 
passing throng — the mother knitting, the father smoking, 
the children playing, while on the broad pavements of the 
hotels sit hundreds before the little tables, drinking cheap 
wines and chatting cheap gossip. Meanwhile, the broad 
avenues, or boulevards, are crowded with carriages occu- 
pied by the other actors in this Vanity Fair. Many of 
these were absent during the interval described above, but 
the great majority were glad enough to eat rats, cats, cows, 
horses, and rhinoceros during that fearful siege. "What 
a tender dish you gave us to-day," said a satisfied gourmand 
to the chef of his restaurant. "Yes, indeed," was the 
answer, " but it was hard enough for me to kill my favorite 
Newfoundland to please my guests." 

I wish I had Mr. Stokley and Mahlon H. Dickinson here 
now, to walk or drive with me through these Paris streets. 
I am not Mayor of Philadelphia or Superintendent of 
Highways, but if I were either, I should learn a good deal 
from these magnificent foreign cities. I board in a street 
like Locust, between Sixth and Seventh, Philadelphia, only . 
more shops, more travel, and therefore more excuse for 
dirt. I declare to you it is as clean always as the floor of 



PARIS AND THE CENTENNIAL. 



29 



a banking-house. This morning I got up early to write 
my letters — at seven o'clock, and I saw the cart to carry 
offal tome on. The servants of the house were out to 
deposit their tributes, the fountains were running, and the 
Rue Caumartin was made ready for the day. Observe, this 
is so all over Europe: in England, with her Queen; in 
France, with her military President ; in Germany, with 
her Emperor, and in Switzerland, with her annually elected 
republican Executive. Why ? Because the law is made to 
be obeyed, not to be broken. Because a public trust is 
more sacred than, or as sacred as, a private trust ! These 
people get crazy every decade or so, but their municipal 
administration is the best in the world. 

Paris is getting to be full of the Centennial. I am doing 
all I can to see that she comes over. The newspaper 
people are almost spontaneous on the subject. The truth 
is, there is no excuse for anybody to go against the Cen- 
tennial. It is nobody's specialty. It takes from nobody. 
It proposes to help all round. There is therefore hardly 
anything left for envy. The period is auspicious abroad 
and at home. Our own quarrel adjusted, we have closed 
all our differences with other governments. And it looks 
as if Providence or Destiny had so shaped things that the 
American Centennial should be the exact opportunity for 
all the nations to square accounts, and to start forward in 
a fair race for the command of the commerce of the world. 

Yesterday's Galignani, the great English paper in Paris, 
which goes all over the Continent, gave up two of its prom- 
inent columns to an elaborate editorial on the American 
World's Fair in 1876. To-morrow the American Register, 
a journal which has attained an immense circulation, and 
has just been purchased by our old townsman, the million- 
aire, Dr. Thomas W. Evans, long resident in Paris, will 
speak even more at length on the same subject. 

August, 1874. 

3* 



3° 



IRA NCR REORGANIZES HER ARMIES. 



V. 



France Reorganizes her Armies. — The Civil Service. — French and English. 
— The Centennial Feeling Abroad. — Art News and Gossip. — The New 
French Opera-House. — What it Costs to Live in Paris. 

France is putting herself in military order after the 
Prussian model. The catastrophe of 1870 was a great 
educator. There is a fine lad of seventeen in my "pen- 
sion," who has been helping me with my correspondence. 
He talks English, and yesterday he said, "I must now go 
to my professor." "Your professor, Armand ! how is 
that?" "Why, you see, when I am nineteen I go into 
the French army, under the law passed after the war, by 
which all our young men must serve five years, unless they 
show themselves qualified in certain branches of education, 
as history, geography, arithmetic. If they are up in these, 
they need only serve one year. I have my teacher one 
hour every day, and I feel sure of a good number and 
an early and honorable discharge for superiority in his- 
tory, geography, algebra, and the natural sciences. If I 
prove proficient in these branches I serve only one year ; 
so I am working to get the other four years to myself." 
It is unnecessary to discuss the advantages of such a sys- 
tem in a military power. The government secures good 
soldiers and intelligent citizens at the same time. 

"What keeps this great city in such perfect order through 
all these revolutions? Here it is to-day almost as beauti- 
ful as it was in 1867, though the fire of the siege has bat- 
tered its houses, and the red ocean of the Commune has 
poured through its streets." This is the question I put to 
an intelligent gentleman who has lived here forty years. 



THE CIVIL SERVICE. 



31 



His answer deserves to be remembered by the people of 
our American cities : " There is a very large class of offi- 
cials in the government who take no part in politics, and 
from generation to generation discharge the same duties. 
These are all experts. They are never removed. Their 
places are a sort of property, and when they retire it is 
with a pension, in every case made up by per-centage con- 
tributions from themselves. These are the men who give 
us our magnificent streets, sewers, lights, and police ; our 
lovely gardens and cheap fares ; who keep our great gal- 
leries in order, and organize fetes for the poor and operas 
for the rich. Public money is rarely if ever stolen in 
France ; when it is appropriated, or when a wealthy citizen 
gives a large sum for public purposes, it is as carefully pre- 
served and disbursed as if it was the private property of 
the chief of the bureau to whom it is entrusted." He had 
read of the wholesale removal of men in office after every 
change of administration in the United States, and he re- 
garded it as the curse of our system. In a recent article 
in Lippincotf s Magazine, by Reginald Wynford, on the 
"British Civil Service," you will find these words: "For 
a clerk in any department in England to lose his appoint- 
ment in consequence of a change of administration is a 
thing absolutely unknown." 

I walked to my quarters from a meeting of Americans 
and Parisians, late the other night, alone. It was half-past 
twelve, and the gay crowds were rapidly dispersing. I 
sauntered through the Champs Elysees ; the lights of the 
little theatres were fading out ; the music was over and the 
booths were silent ; Punch and Judy had gone to bed ; the 
flying horses were at rest after a hard day's work, and the 
tired feet of the tinselled dancers were in repose. But 
every few yards there was a policeman or gendarme in clean 
uniform, with his medal on his breast, watchful and polite. 
Long rows of the little iron chairs used by the people, 



32 



FRENCH AND ENGLISH. 



from which to look at the sights, and hired out for a sous, 
were exposed under the trees, and, like the flowers in the 
un fenced squares, were safe from the prowlers. As I 
loitered on, a woman with a sweet face, in exquisite dress, 
stopped before me and spoke in her best French. I 
answered her in my best American, and, after a good deal 
of conversation, we parted friends in the innocent con- 
sciousness that neither understood what the other had said. 
It is the only time, since I have been here, that I have 
profited by my ignorance of the French language. 

Now for the other side of the picture. Yesterday a 
friend and myself came to grief by an experiment with a 
hackman, whom we employed to drive us for an hour. 
He drove at his slowest pace. " The fellow intends to 
cheat us," said my friend ; "he will force us into a second 
hour." "Let us baffle him," was my reply. "We will 
stop exactly at the expiration of the bargain, and walk the 
remainder of the way;" and so we did; but the scamp 
demanded an extra franc with such a torrent of French, to 
which we could not reply, that we paid it to avoid a scene, 
and sorrowfully pursued our way. We consoled ourselves, 
however, with the thought that many of the Frenchmen 
we had met could not talk English. This is notably so of 
M. de Girardin, M. Thiers, and others of equal eminence. 
The English and Americans are the great travellers of the 
nations, and their language is an ever-increasing influence. 
"English spoken" is the symbol of all the successful 
traders. You may traverse the earth with that magician. 
You may do without French, or German, or Italian, but 
when you talk what Shakspeare and Milton wrote, you 
hold the key to many mysteries. It is true that every new 
language opens up a new world, but it is also true that the 
most useful and governing is the English. 

Before this letter reaches you you will have noticed the 
emphatic manner in which Galigiiani and the American 



ART NEWS AND GOSSIP. 



33 



Register, in Paris, have endorsed the Centennial World's 
Fair. During the present week most of the French pap 
will follow. But no interest is being more thoroughly 
aroused than the artists'. I hear from them frequently. 
On Saturday I had the opportunity of being present at the 
studio of two American ladies, who have won solid fame 
by their paintings — Mrs. Robinson Morrell, of Massachu- 
setts (well known in Washington), and Miss E. F. Gardner, 
of New Hampshire. The first picture was Mrs. Morrell's 
" Washington Waiting for the Provision Train," a Revolu- 
tionary study, the chief objects of which are Washington, 
Colonel Alexander Hamilton, General Greene, and two 
others, on superb horses. The story of the piece is admir- 
ably told by the artist. The troops were in a starving con- 
dition, and Washington felt, unless he received supplies, 
there was danger of mutiny and desertion. At the last 
hour the provision trains are announced, and Washington 
and his staff ride out to meet them. Mrs. Morrell displays 
immense talent in the group, especially in the animal life; 
so well, indeed, that when Goupil, the celebrated dealer, 
heard of her picture he called to see it, and immediately 
offered her ten thousand francs (two thousand dollars) for 
permission to make an engraving of it as a companion for 
the fine steel-plate of Leutze's " Washington Crossing the 
Delaware," the splendid original of which is now in the 
gallery of Marshall O. Roberts, New York. Mrs. Morrell 
intends offering her Washington for exhibition at the Cen- 
tennial, and no doubt Mr. Roberts will do the same with 
his, so that these two historical chefs-ef ceuvre may be seen 
side by side. There is another noble work, " The First 
Battle of the Puritans," taken from Longfellow's poem, 
with Miles Stand ish and a glowing picture of savage life, 
and early American scenery, with sun and shade and foliage 
— another gem I hope to see in the Art Gallery at Fair- 
mount Park in 1S76. 

B* 



34 



ART NEWS AND GOSSIP. 



The younger lady, Miss Gardner, has had her triumph 
in another school. She was a pupil of Merle, who painted 
the glorious " Marguerite, in Faust," which I have several 
times seen in Colonel Scott's Philadelphia residence, and, 
once seen, never forgotten. If to make money by genius 
is a test of success, both these ladies have attained it. Miss 
Gardner received two thousand dollars from Mr. Jonas G. 
Clark, of New York, for her "Cinderella," the scene 
being the fitting of the glass slipper, with the dazzled 
prince and angry sisters at her side. It is a lovely realiza- 
tion, and I do not wonder that it won a prominent place 
in the French Academy, and was surrounded by approving 
spectators. Her " Corinne," after Madame de Stael's 
story, and her portraits of the two children of Mr. Steb- 
bins, an American gentleman living in Paris, were spoken 
of in the Pall Mall Gazette, a high English critical author- 
ity, as follows: "The 'Corinne' wears a laurel wreath, 
and the sunlight strikes her shoulder and hand, the rest of 
the figure being in shadow. It is difficult to imagine a 
figure more finely drawn, or a type of face more interest- 
ing : grave yet gentle, maidenly and full of sweet pen- 
siveness. The soft harmony of colors and the delicate 
firmness of the drawing are the salient features of the 
picture and its neighbor, a portrait of two children in the 
dress of Louis Fifteenth's time. Taken altogether, they 
struck me as among the most attractive performances of 
the exhibition." The French connoisseurs talk of the 
" Corinne" as a work of surpassing merit. Among other 
American artists in Paris who take a deep interest in our 
World's Fair, I must not forget Mr. Daniel R. Knight 
(who has just sold one of his last pictures for a large sum 
to a Spanish gentleman living here); George P. Healy, 
whose portraits of the Pope, M. Thiers, and Minister 
Washburne attracted much attention ; Mr. Edward H. 
May of New York, Miss Clementina Tompkins of Wash- 



THE NEW FRENCH OPERA-HOUSE. 



35 



ington, Mr. Bridgman of New York, Mr. Baird of Chicago, 
and Miss Mary Stephenson Cassatt of Philadelphia, whose 
Spanish head in the exhibition was much commended. 
These, with their coadjutors all over the Continent, and 
with Bradford and Miss Lea, in London, and their asso- 
ciates, are doing a world of good among the foreign artists 
in the matter of arousing a proper interest in the Centen- 
nial. 

The new opera-house in Paris is undoubtedly the grandest 
in Europe. Begun under the auspices of Napoleon III., it 
is announced to be completed and opened on the ist of 
January, 1875. After a long effort we at last got admis- 
sion for three, and on Monday we saw its matchless inte- 
rior. It is a world in itself. The great pile occupies an 
entire square, as large as that occupied by our new Public 
Buildings. Its main front, indeed, all its facades, consti- 
tute a variety of architecture and statuary beyond de- 
scription. Inside, all these wonders increase. The space 
allotted to the stage, the dressing-rooms, rooms or studios 
for the artists, reception-rooms, machine-shops, with the 
endless devices for scenery, seem to be more than half the 
entire area ; and as you gaze into this mysterious combina- 
tion, the auditorium looks comparatively small, even with 
its tier after tier of boxes and its sweeping corridors. 
Some idea of this immense edifice may be gathered from 
the size of the saloon, or foyer, a rectangular hall over one 
hundred and sixty feet long and forty feet high. It is 
lighted in the day by five windows looking into the boule- 
vard, and in the night by a bewildering array of chande- 
liers. In this saloon the great artist Vaudrey achieved his 
last triumphs, which are now setting Paris wild. The 
panels they were to fill, the spaces for the mirrors, the 
lofty and widespreading ceilings, the walls, the very floors, 
conveyed an idea of vastness, heightened by the gorgeous 
decorations in bronzes and gold, in mosaic and fresco, in 



36 



WHAT IT COSTS TO LIVE IN PARIS. 



marble and the other products of French and foreign quar- 
ries. I forbear an estimate of what this palace of music 
will accommodate, or what it costs, but its acoustic ca- 
pacity seems to have passed judgment. Nilsson has tried 
it, and given it her approval. All the seats are taken for 
the first representation, and for six months ahead. Work 
on it was arrested, of course, during the siege and the 
Commune, and it was several times in danger, but the 
present Government has given it an immense appropria- 
tion to finish it by January. The new opera-house is in 
the very heart of Paris, near all the leading boulevards, 
and is unquestionably the finest of the fresh wonders of 
the French capital. 

I spent twelve days in this lovely city, and my bill for 
rooms, meals, and generally first-class accommodations, 
was less than fifteen dollars a week. It would have been 
reduced at least thirty francs if I had not required ac- 
commodations for my correspondence and visitors, — an 
item for Americans who do not wish to be fleeced at the 
hotels. 

August, 1874. 



JJAMPTON COURT PALACE. 



37 



VI. 



Hampton Court Palace.— Holland House. — Marden Park. — Hotel Life. — 
Mrs. Dion Boucicault. 

Suburban life or villa life in England opens a view of 
history and society at once. You sometimes visit a house 
four hundred years old, with ancient paintings, furniture, 
trees, and architecture ; all these curiously mingled with 
the products of modern times. A picture by Vandyck or 
Sir Joshua Reynolds, even a Titian or a Murillo, is hung 
in contrast with a Turner or a Landseer. A few evenings 
ago I dined at an old mansion long occupied by Lord 
North, the stubborn Minister of George III., and often 
the scene of his Cabinet councils. In the superb gallery, 
prominent among the old masters, were three of Bier- 
stadt's studies of the Rocky Mountains, and an excellent 
portrait of President Grant, while in my bed-room was a 
choice Washington by Gilbert Stuart. From the beautiful 
grounds surrounding this ancient mansion we had a near 
view of Hampton Court and Bushey Park. The former of 
these, a fine structure of red brick, with stone ornaments, 
was originally built by Cardinal Wolsey, who presented 
it to his sovereign Henry VIII. The great saloons are 
filled with the portraits of the beauties of Charles II. 's time 
and paintings of many of the old masters, including the 
favorite picture of Charles I. on horseback, by Vandyck. 
In this splendid solitude, crowded with memories of the 
past, it was difficult to believe that you were so near the 
terrible roar of London. Very few people were in the 
lovely walks, and there was an air of quiet pervading the 
whole, hardly disturbed by the herds of deer grazing peace- 

4 



38 HOLLAND HOUSE. 

fully in these gorgeous spaces and under these ancient 
trees. 

On another occasion I spent an evening with an Ameri- 
can gentleman who owns a portion of the vast demesne 
once attached to Holland House, Kensington. He has 
built for himself what is known as Oak Lodge, and his gar- 
dens are full of trophies and relics. The larger portion of 
the estate is still held by the descendants of the founder, 
but giant London, with the blood and fire of modern 
Progress in its veins, will soon absorb it. Holland House 
is among the last of the great mansions venerable for its 
appearance, and for its connection with old times, left in 
the metropolis ; and as I followed my friend through the 
walks of his beautiful grove and garden, I felt that our feet 
were deep in the dust of the ages. Here was the scene of 
the celebrated duel between Lord Camelford and Mr. Best, 
ending in the death of the former, who had wantonly pro- 
voked it. In the great house itself is the chamber where 
Addison died; the bed-room of Charles James Fox; that 
of the poet Rogers; that of Sheridan, where a servant at- 
tended him all night, it is said, to supply the thirsty orator 
with champagne when he awoke. In the library we are told 
how Addison paced up and down, dictating for The Specta- 
tor, with a bottle of wine upon a table at each end. You go 
back several centuries to the founders of this almost royal 
house, where Kings and Cabinets dined and counselled, 
through long lines of favorites of both sexes, and an almost 
endless procession of noble and celebrated characters, and 
you read individual and national vicissitudes in the long 
and varied story. 

Another delightful day at Marden Park, in Surrey, was 
spent with J. H. Puleston, M. P. for Devonport, and his 
family and friends. Mr. Puleston is well known in Penn- 
sylvania for his activity during the war as a journalist and 
a military agent for Governor Curtin at Washington, D. C. 



HOTEL LIFE. 



39 



I was glad to note his high position in England. In London, 
by his integrity in business, and his excellent manners, he 
soon acquired and held the confidence of the community. 
His successful efforts to preserve the credit of the house 
of which he is a partner, and the boldness and skill with 
which he made good all his obligations after the great 
panic of September, 1873, made him very strong with the 
cautious Englishmen. Puleston is a Conservative in Eng- 
land. He has lost none of his love of America, and nothing 
gives him more pleasure than to meet his old friends, and 
stand forth for his old home. 

I have often said that the English in the hotels do not 
live so well as we do, and I have yet to meet an English 
restaurant equal to Augustin's in Philadelphia, or Delmon- 
ico's in New York ; and no establishment like those of the 
Continental and the Colonnade in the first, or the Brevoort 
House or Fifth Avenue in the second. But in their rural 
or suburban, or London homes, they rival our best. With 
the best cooks, the best wines, attendants trained by long 
service, their dinners are, to say the least, unapproachable. 
They generally breakfast about nine, lunch at one, and 
dine at seven or eight, the last often extending long into the 
night, winding up with billiards and cigars. Champagne 
is not taken so freely as with us ; it comes on after the 
lighter wines, and is never much iced, except for their 
American guests. An English gentleman seldom drinks 
before dinner, but he does justice to his appetite when he 
gets his legs " under the mahogany." 

Glimpses of suburban and villa life in England were 
happily contrasted by an evening among the literary men 
and artistes at the residence of Mrs. Dion Boucicault, 
Regent Street, London. Two continents remember Agnes 
Robertson, "the fairy star" of the stage, her graceful 
beauty, gentle humor, and musical tones. When I was 
first invited to meet her, after so many years, I was pre- 



4 o MRS. DION B O UCICA UL T. 

pared for some changes of time ; but I found the beautiful 
girl ripened into the lovely woman. Mother of five chil- 
dren, Mrs. Dion Boucicault is as graceful as when she made 
great capitals ring with praises of her gifts of mind and 
person. There was not a trace of the actress. Nothing 
could be more natural. A lady in everything ; considerate, 
well-poised, and perfectly at home, she was like one who 
had been reared in private life and had never known the 
dangerous applause of the theatre. That rare charm which 
makes a lovely woman more lovely without ornament is 
hers. The tact that makes everybody happy and at ease 
is an inborn quality, invaluable in the artiste, because 
never taught in the discipline of the drama. All her chil- 
dren were present — Eve, her eldest daughter, and Dion, 
her eldest son, at the dinner, and the next daughter and 
the next son and the baby at the reception afterwards. 
The English song of their mother and the French chanson 
of the second boy delighted everybody ; and when the last 
of the five, the little Boucicault, kissed us all "good- 
night," it was a picture for Meissonier alone to paint. 

Of those present, and there were a good many, I will 
mention only Charles Reade, the novelist. I expected to 
find an aggressive, angular, ostentatious social despot; but 
imagine a figure like our William Sellers, of Philadelphia; 
with gray, almost white, hair and beard, soft voice, excel- 
lent address, and an evident eagerness to please and be 
pleased. Slightly deaf, and therefore not demonstrative, 
it was still not necessary to force him to talk. He sought 
others, and was, I noticed, that excellent thing in man 
and woman, a good listener. Mr. Reade is Fellow of a 
College at Oxford, also D.C.L., a prodigious worker, and, 
I should think, a very amiable person in private life. He 
never once talked of himself, was dressed in plain black, 
and seemed more anxious for fame as a dramatist than as 
a writer of fiction. He is engaged on a new novel, but I 



SCIENTIFIC FARMING. 



41 



did not ask its title nor when it was to appear. He spoke 
highly of his American readers, and when I sent him a 
copy of my Anecdotes he returned a note written in plain, 
open hand, which I probably shall forward to my friend 
Ferdinand J. Dreer, of Philadelphia, to embalm among 
his library of autographs. If I can get for him a photo- 
graph of the author of "Peg Woffington," "White Lies," 
" Put Yourself in His Place," and "Hard Cash," I shall 
expect a world of thanks from that enthusiastic collector 
of the calligraphy and countenances of famous men. 

September, 1874. 



VII. 



Scientific Farming. — Mr. Lawes of Herts. — Succession and Variations of 
Crops. — St. Albans Abbey. 

The farm of John Bennett Lawes, Esq., at Rothansted, 
Hertfordshire, about twenty-three miles from London, 
which I had the pleasure of visiting a few weeks ago, is 
in a singularly romantic and antiquated region. The 
mansion is more than eight hundred years old, and the 
combination of early architecture with modern additions, 
in keeping with the original plan, is a source of constant 
interest and surprise to the archaeological student. You 
approach it from the railroad station through an exquisite 
English village, and over a broad road roofed with noble 
trees. The venerable mansion stands in a beautiful lawn, 
and was a singularly antique and striking figure, surrounded 
with the unrivalled flowers of the season, and in the centre 
of a lovely grove. Mr. Lawes is an enthusiastic, scientific 
agriculturist, and he was himself an object of no less in- 
terest than the broad fields upon which he conducted his 

4* 



42 SCIENTIFIC FARMING. 

thorough experiments. I should think the entire estate 
included at least two thousand acres, five hundred of 
which are given up to the special purpose of testing the 
theories to which he has devoted nearly all his life, having 
already provided in his will that after his death one 
hundred thousand pounds shall be expended to carry on 
the project in which he has long and successfully per- 
severed. I walked with him through the best part of his 
magnificent property. It was a breezy day in August, not 
unlike an American September, and I noticed that he dis- 
carded his hat, and strolled along with uncovered head, 
explaining his work, over his splendid acres. He has 
become an authority among the scientific farmers of the 
world, having given thirty years to this peculiar specialty. 
In what he calls the "park" the land has been laid down 
with grass for some centuries ; no fresh seed has been 
artificially sown within the last forty years, nor is record 
of there being any sown since the grass was first laid down. 
His experiments on this farm began in 1856, at which 
time the . character of the herbage appeared uniform all 
over the plots. Yet he has produced large and heavy 
crops of hay by the application of varied manures, in- 
cluding ammoniate salts, superphosphate of lime, nitrate 
of potassa, etc. 

On what he calls the "four hundred field" similar ex- 
periments in the growth of barley have been made year 
after year on the same land, without manure and with 
different kinds of manure. The first crops on this tract 
were Swede turnips, in 1847 > tne second, barley, in 1848; 
the third, in 1849, clover; the fourth, in 1850, wheat; 
and, in 1851, barley, grown mainly with ammoniate salts. 
His own experiments in barley began in 1852, with equally 
favorable results, under the same application of farm-yard 
manure, ammoniate salts, nitrate of soda, sulphate of 
potash, etc. You have the average produced per acre on 



SCIENTIFIC FARMING. 



43 



all his tracts for twenty years from 1S52 to 1873 arranged 
in tables easy to understand by the practical farmer. On 
what he calls " Broadback" field, wheat is the object of 
his experiments, with and without manure, for the same 
period, and with the same accurate.and useful results. He 
also showed us his crops of peas, beans, tares, and red 
clover, and on his "barn" field the product of the same 
applications, 'the growth of sugar beet. 

On the Adgdell field, one-third of which had been 
constantly unmamired for twenty years, and the others 
partially manured, all have rewarded his experiments with 
a wonderful produce. His experiments with ammonia, 
and in the use of nitrogenous manures, have been of in- 
calculable use in this country where land 'is scarce. He 
has found that generally less than half the nitrogen sup- 
plied in such manures as guano and ammoniacal salts is 
recovered in the increase of the crops for which they are 
used, that a considerable amount remains in the soil in 
a comparatively inactive state, and that a considerable 
quantity may be carried away by drainage on the land. 
It seemed desirable, therefore, to commence a series of 
experiments to determine whether any saving could be 
effected by burying comparatively small quantities near to 
the seed, instead of large amounts in the usual way of 
sowing and harrowing in. This quiet gentleman, absorbed 
in his efforts to simplify the cultivation of the land, and to 
utilize every foot and acre, is an example of how much 
one man can effect in the course of a lifetime. His labora- 
tory is a wonder in itself. Here at a stated season of every 
year he employs a thorough agricultural chemist, whose 
business it is to discover the properties of various plants, 
seeds, roots, and grass, and he is aided by a number of 
boys in the collection and distribution of the plants and 
seeds. This laboratory looks like a great school of science. 
Adjoining it is what is known as the club-house, for his 



44 ST. ALBANS ABBEY. 

farm hands, who, living in comfortable buildings near by, 
meet for conversation and reading in this club-house every 
evening, and especially every Saturday and Sunday, at 
leisure hours cultivating the little patches of ground set 
apart for each by Mr. Lawes, which furnish not only 
pleasant employment, but vegetables for their families. . 

It must not be supposed that these facts were freely fur- 
nished. I had rather to extract them by repeated sugges- 
tions; and though his answers were always kind and full, 
yet, nevertheless, I did see that he was not anxious to make 
an advertisement of his benevolence; but nothing could 
exceed his modesty in describing the wonderful results of 
his long and careful studies among the acres which have 
been the scene of his continuous experiments. After giving 
us several hours of his most pleasant and rare experience 
we returned to the mansion, where the scientific fanner, 
discarding his plain working dress, soon appeared as the 
accomplished host of a refined family circle. 

In this same historic vicinity is the magnificent Abbey 
of St. Alban, now undergoing a thorough reparation under 
the influence of the nobility and gentry of Great Britain. 
Mr. John Chappie, a resident of Romeland in the neigh- 
borhood, and a guest of Mr. Lawes on the day above re- 
ferred to, is the most active of those engaged in this 
interesting work. St. Albans is one of the favorite monu- 
ments of the great English Church. To give you an idea 
of the age of some of these old edifices you must try to 
realize that he who paces slowly within the walls of St. 
Albans, looking out upon the eminence on which it stands, 
can see close at hand where stood the rude capitol of the 
native prince Caswallon, who, half a century before the 
birth of Christ, resisted the invasion of the first Caesar — 
B.C. 54. a.d. 61, a destructive persecution overtook the 
consecrated ground, and two and a half centuries afterwards 
the Emperor then upon the Roman throne, Diocletian, 



ST. ALBANS ABBEY. 



45 



issued an edict to root it up. This was the last persecu- 
tion of the Christians — the most furious and sanguinary. 
Under the rule of the Emperor Constantine was built the 
first church in memory of St. Alban, who is called Eng- 
land's first martyr. 

" For his friend he died, 
And for his faith ; 
Nor shall his name forsake this hill, 
Whose flowery platform seems to rise 
By nature decked for holiest sacrifice." 

Century after century, down to the present period, 
through wars and revolutions, changes of religious posses- 
sion, and even of religious creeds, through successions of 
martyrs and kings, St. Albans has been an object of rever- 
ence and pride. Under the active influence of Mr. Chappie 
the work of restoration is going on, with the aid of heavy 
contributions from all parts of the Kingdom. As much as 
fifty thousand pounds sterling will be required to put it in 
order ; and as this burden is too great for one county to 
bear, an appeal has been made to the nation at large. In a 
short time St. Albans will be made a Bishopric, the endow- 
ment to be supplied by private liberality. I have been 
most careful in getting at these points, because St. Albans 
is a sacred spot among all the members of the English or 
Episcopal denominations, including the increasing thou- 
sands in America who are in constant intercourse with the 
Established Church in Great Britain. I am quite sure Mr. 
John Chappie, Romeland, St. Albans, England, would be 
glad to hear from his American friends. 

September, 1874. 



46 A PROFESSIONAL NATURALIST. 



VIII. 

A Professional Naturalist. — Zoological Gardens in London and Phila- 
delphia. 

Charles Tamrack, naturalist, 180 St. George Street, 
East London, is a well-known character among those who 
deal in wild animals, birds, reptiles, and the insects of land 
and water. In fact, his business is to supply living and 
dead specimens to menageries, zoological gardens, and 
public and private museums. For more than forty years 
he has been engaged in this special commerce, and is con- 
stantly on the look-out through his agents and sons in 
selecting the choicest varieties from all parts of the world. 
A friend and myself mounted an omnibus at the top of 
Regent Street on Tuesday last, and for five miles, at a cost 
of fivepence each, pursued our way to his somewhat unique 
collection. It is within a short walk of the Tower of Lon- 
don, directly in the vicinity of the immense London 
Docks, and near the parish of St. Katherine's, where Wil- 
liam Penn was born. It was not an agreeable sensation 
to pass between the somewhat rickety cages, separated from 
one another by a narrow passage of not more than three 
feet, in which the wild citizens of the wildernesses of India, 
Africa, and Japan are temporarily exhibited and offered 
for sale. It was not a pleasant sensation to feel that any 
one of them might have given us a rather rude welcome to 
the mysteries of the place, especially as the keeper himself, 
bare-armed and thong in hand, seemed to have been lacer- 
ated from hand to shoulder in his frequent conflicts with 
his untamed prisoners. 

The first lot, a recent arrival, consisted of five young 



ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS OF LONDON. 



47 



elephants, evidently, from their looks, much indisposed 
after their long voyage from India. Three of them had 
already been sold, and the price of the remaining two was 
stated to be four hundred pounds each. The leopards com- 
manded seventy pounds, the lions five hundred pounds a 
pair. The dromedary, which had broken its ankle on the 
passage, was evidently laid up in hospital, and did not seem 
to be in the market at all. The variety was not as exten- 
sive as expected, but a new cargo was looked for within a 
few days. There were in this collection, however, some 
curious specimens: two of the " yak" covered with long 
hair resembling a horse's mane and tail ; and a zebu from 
Hindostan, a combination of reindeer and bison. There 
were hyenas, wolves, jackals, antelopes, a fair colony of 
monkeys, and two porcupines. What might be called 
the "aviary" was of a better description, especially the 
magnificent Amherst pheasant, rare and valuable. Here, 
also, were several rooms crowded with savage implements 
of warfare, old vases, and every description of Oriental 
oddity. It made up a sort of wild curiosity shop, well 
worth a visit. 

The Zoological Gardens of London, on the north- 
west side of Regent's Park, and now covering seventeen 
acres, had a very small beginning in 1826. Until the 
ground was drained and tastefully planted there was great 
mortality among the animals. The gardens were first 
opened in 1S28. During seven months there were upwards 
of thirty thousand visitors, at a charge of one shilling 
each. There were then four hundred and thirty animals, 
and the expenses were fifty thousand dollars. Since then 
these gardens have become one of the favorite resorts 
of London fashion. The new monkey-house has cost 
over twenty-five thousand dollars. In 1863 the income 
amounted to over one hundred thousand dollars. In the 
year 1864 the visitors numbered five hundred and seven 



48 DULWICH COLLEGE. 

thousand one hundred and sixty-nine. The natural in- 
come of the society is now over one hundred thousand dol- 
lars, and the ordinary expenses seventeen thousand dollars. 
Visitors on Mondays and holidays only pay sixpence per 
head and supply the larger portion of the income, their 
numbers being more than double those of the visitors on 
the shilling days. The number of annual subscribers in 
1866 was two thousand four hundred and fifty-nine; the 
visitors, five hundred and twenty-seven thousand three hun- 
dred and forty-nine ; animals, two hundred and thirteen ; 
quadrupeds, five hundred and thirty-five; birds, one thou- 
sand three hundred and five. The society's museum in 
this garden is arranged to convey an idea of the generic 
forms of the vertebrate division of the animal kingdom. 
It was projected on an extensive scale, but gradually be- 
came eclipsed by the rapid accumulation with which 
Doctor Gray enriched the galleries of the British Museum. 
From this general statement it will be seen that the com- 
mencement of the Philadelphia Zoological Garden is at 
least as auspicious as that in London, and with the incen- 
tive of our World's Fair, and the noble liberality of our 
citizens, cannot fail to become as popular as its great 
London prototype. 

September, 1874. 



IX. 

Dulwich College. — Endowments by and for Actors. 

Riding out a few evenings ago with an American who 
has had a fortunate career in London, but who has not 
lived here long enough to forget his native country, my 
attention was directed to an imposing pile of buildings in 
the pleasant suburb of Dulwich, near the Crystal Palace, 
and in the direct neighborhood of my friend, whose pleas- 



DULWICH COLLEGE. 4 o 

ant home is within sight of the magnificent edifice which 
is perhaps the most popular of all the British resorts. 
"That," he said, "is Dulwich College, built and en- 
dowed in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a celebrated actor in 
his time, who erected the Fortune Theatre, and with 
Henslow was co-proprietor of the Paris Bear Garden, at 
Bankside. He named the foundation ' The College of 
God's Gift,' to be governed by a master and warden, to 
contain six poor brothers, six sisters, twelve scholars, and 
thirty out-fellows, lodged principally in almshouses. This 
was more than two hundred and fifty years ago, during 
which time the annual income of the college has increased 
to about eight thousand pounds, or forty thousand dollars, 
or nearly tenfold the value of the original gift. In 185 1 
the Archbishop of Canterbury extended the education of 
the school to chemistry, surveying, engineering, and the 
allied sciences. In 1858 Parliament decided that this 
trust's income should be expended in proportion to its 
wealth. There are now two schools — an upper, which 
provides a more advanced education for boys of the 
better class, and a lower, for the preparation of boys for 
commercial life. In the upper school the fees are eight 
pounds per annum, and in the lower one pound. New 
buildings have been completed on a site of thirty acres, 
between the present college and the Crystal Palace. The 
founder of Dulwich College was also a friend of Ben Jonson 
and Shakspeare, and, in addition to that noble institution, 
built and endowed three almshouses in London. He him- 
self laid the first brick of one of them — the Bath Street 
Almshouse — in 1620, and they were all rebuilt in 1707." 

There are in London several establishments for the 
care of the orphans and aged members of the theatrical 
profession. The Dramatic College for poor players, situ- 
ated at Mayberry, in Surrey, consists of a central hall, and 
residences in the London style. 
c 5 



5 o MUNICIPAL LONDON. 

The gift of the generous actor, whose best monument is 
•Dulwich College, reminded me of another great legacy 
soon to assume shape and organization on the banks of the 
river Delaware, near the city of Philadelphia. I allude, 
of course, to the provision made by Edwin Forrest in his 
late will for the benefit of the aged and indigent members 
of the profession of which he was the distinguished orna- 
ment. Every precaution should be taken, not only in the 
face of the certainty of the increased value in the course 
of time of the beautiful estate set apart by Mr. Forrest for 
the purpose, but in view of the increase of tenants of the 
splendid buildings to be constructed and controlled ac- 
cording to his exact and careful direction. Not fifty years 
will elapse before all his fine domain north of Philadelphia 
will be covered with costly and comfortable houses. It is 
well, therefore, to take advantage of the lessons of older 
and more experienced communities. 

September, 1874. 



X. 

Municipal London. — Lord Mayor's Feast. — Official Costume and Insignia. 

The Lord Mayor of London is chosen annually. His 
salary and allowances amount to about ten thousand pounds 
per annum. He resides in the Mansion House, near the 
Royal Exchange. This is. sumptuously furnished, and 
provided with plate, etc., of great value. He is provided 
with a gorgeous state coach, but not with horses. He is 
expected to give a certain number of state banquets during 
the year, in addition to bearing half the expense of the in- 
auguration dinner, at Guildhall, on the 9th of November. 
The dinners are provided by contract, but the wines are 



LORD MAYOR'S FEAST. 



51 



supplied from the Mansion House cellars. The Mayoralty- 
expenses almost always exceed the city allowance. The 
state liveries usually cost five hundred pounds. 

The Guildhall, where the Lord Mayor and his friends 
will dine on the evening of November 9, is magnificently 
decorated for royal entertainments, at which the sovereign 
is seated beneath a state canopy at the east end. The 
architectural lines of the edifice are marked out with five 
thousand gas-jets, and from the roof hang two painted 
chandeliers, each twelve feet in diameter, the whole flood 
of gaslight exceeding that of forty-five thousand candles. 
The fair average width of the hall is forty-nine feet six 
inches. The height from the present pavement to the 
underside of the ridge is eighty-nine feet. The total 
length is one hundred and fifty-two feet. 

Tli is vast hall will contain between six and seven thou- 
sand persons. Here have been held the inauguration 
dinners of the Lord Mayors since 1501. Charles I. was 
feasted here in 1641, and Charles II. was nine times enter- 
tained here at dinner. From 1660, with only three ex- 
ceptions, the sovereign has dined at Guildhall on Lord 
Mayor's day after his or her accession or coronation. The 
exceptions were James II., who held the city charter upon 
a writ of quo warranto at his accession ; George IV., who 
was rendered unpopular by his quarrel with his Queen, 
and William IV., who apprehended political tumult. 

The dinner on Lord Mayor's day is always a magnificent 
spectacle. The Lord Mayor and his distinguished guests 
advance to the banquet by sound of trumpet, and the 
superb dresses and official costumes of the company, some- 
times twelve hundred in number, with the display of costly 
plate, are very striking. The hall is divided : at the 
upper, or hustings tables, the courses are served hot ; at 
the lower tables the turtle only is hot. The baron of beef 
is brought in procession from the kitchen into the hall in 



5 2 



OFFICIAL COSTUME AND INSIGNIA. 



the morning, and, being placed upon a pedestal, at night is 
cut up by "the city carver." The old kitchen wherein 
the dinner is dressed is a vast apartment; the principal 
range is sixteen feet long and seven feet high, and a baron 
of beef (three cwt.) upon the gigantic spit is turned by 
hand. There are twenty cooks, besides helpers; fourteen 
tons of coal are consumed. Some forty turtles are slaugh- 
tered for two hundred and fifty tureens of soup; and the 
serving of the dinner requires about two hundred persons 
and eight thousand plate changes. Next morning the frag- 
ments of the great feast are given to the poor. 

At state banquets the Lord Mayor wears an "entertain- 
ing robe, richly embroidered with gold." A new robe, in 
1867, cost one hundred and sixty guineas. 

He also wears a collar of SS., of pure gold, composed of 
a series of links, each formed of a letter S ; a united York 
and Lancaster, or Henry VII. rose'; and a massive knot. 
The ends of the chain are joined by a portcullis, from the 
points of which, suspended by a ring of diamonds, hangs 
the jewel. The entire collar contains twenty-eight S's, 
fourteen roses, and thirteen knots, and measures sixty-four 
inches. The jewel contains, in the centre, the city arms, 
cut in cameo of a delicate blue, on an olive ground. Sur- 
rounding this, a garter of bright blue, edged with white 
and gold, bearing the city motto, " Domine dirige nos," in 
gold letters. The whole is encircled with a costly border 
of gold S's, alternating with rosettes of diamonds set in 
silver. The jewel is suspended from the collar by a port- 
cullis ; but when worn without the collar, is suspended by 
a broad blue ribbon. The investiture is by a massive gold 
chain, and when a Lord Mayor is re-elected, which has 
happened on some few occasions, by two chains. 

September, 1874. 



WINDSOR CASTLE. ^ 



XL 

Windsor Castle, an Exterior View. — Its Scenery and Surroundings. 

In Windsor Castle, an educated gentleman, evidently a 
retired officer of the army, who met us as we ascended a 
stone stair of about two hundred steps, and walked us 
round at this lofty height, in an intelligent and easy way 
described the history spread out before us in the mag- 
nificent panorama which surrounds this regal dwelling. 
Twelve counties were visible on that clear afternoon. The 
Queen being in Scotland, the royal standard was not dis- 
played from the flagstaff on the Tower of Windsor. This 
ensign is seven yards in breadth and twelve in length. 
The circumference of the Round Tower is three hundred 
feet, and its elevation from the Park below to the top of 
the flagpole is two hundred and ninety-five feet. 

The first object pointed out was the Home Park, extend- 
ing on the north and east side to the banks of the Thames, 
containing about five hundred acres of land, including 
several avenues of elms planted in the reign of Queen 
Anne. The serpentine course of the Thames could be 
discerned for a long distance till it was lost in the pros- 
pect, and faded away like a silver ribbon. The royal dairy 
is thirty-seven feet long by thirteen feet wide, the reser- 
voirs formed of encaustic tiles, and supplied with a flowing 
stream of cold water. The walls are lined with elegantly- 
painted tiles, bordered with green, of agricultural subjects 
in bas-relief, and medallion portraits of the Queen and 
royal family. Heme's oak, which stood so many centuries 
in the Park, is immortalized by Shakspeare in his "Merry 
Wives of Windsor." 

5* 



54 WINDSOR CASTLE. 

Nothing was more attractive than the mausoleum in the 
grounds of Frogmore, erected by Queen Victoria, at a cost 
of several millions of dollars, for -receiving the remains of 
Prince Albert. It consists of a central cell, with four 
transepts branching east, west, north, and south, with a 
porch adjoining the western transept. The whole floor is 
supported by brick vaults of massive work, which at the 
same time form chambers, with loop-holes for the purposes 
of ventilation and prevention of damp. They are entered 
by a small flight of stone steps. The central cell is lighted 
by three semicircular-headed windows in the clere-story, 
which are externally decorated with Aberdeen granite shafts 
and heads. The copper roof of the central cell, which is 
octagonal in plan, rises from the wall-head to the apex with 
a flat pitch, in the manner of an Italian campanile, and is 
surmounted with a gilt cross. The sarcophagus, of Aber- 
deen granite, occupies the centre of the building, on a block 
of black marble, on which is placed a recumbent statue of 
the Prince Consort, in white marble, by Baron Marochetti. 
In gold letters, on the side of the sarcophagus, is the fol- 
lowing inscription : 

Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emanuel, 

Duke of Saxony and Prince of Saxe-Coburg 

and Gotha, 

Prince Consort, 

Second Son of Ernest I., 

Reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. 

Born at Rosenau, near Coburg, August 28, 1819. 

Married February 10, 1840, to Victoria, 

Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. 

Died at Windsor, December 14, 1861. 

The porch is entered by a handsome flight of stone steps, 
lighted with circular-headed three-light windows, with 
shafts and heads of Guernsey granite, and the front is sup- 
ported by monolithic columns. The whole of the interior 



WINDSOR CASTLE. 5 r 

is faced with colored marble and serpentines, with frescoes 
and other decorations. The building is in the Italian style, 
reminding one of the Campanile at Pisa. It is seventy feet 
in length, and the same in height. The foundation-stone 
bears the following inscription : 

The foundation-stone of this building, erected by Queen Victoria in 
pious remembrance of her great and good husband, was laid by her on 
the 15th day of March, A.D. 1862. 

" Blessed are they that sleep in the Lord." 

No public visitors are admitted to this exclusive tomb; 
but once a year, on the anniversary of Prince Albert's 
death, the family and servants of the household are per- 
mitted to enter. 

The Royal Gardens, near Frogmore, are thirty acres in 
extent, and enclosed with a wall twelve feet in height. 
There are two splendid apartments for the use of the Queen, 
out of which she proceeds to the conservatories, which 
cover a total range of glass of nine hundred and twenty 
feet. The vinery is one hundred and two feet long, two 
peach-houses fifty-six feet long, and there are pits for forcing 
melons, cucumbers, and asparagus, heated with hot water. 

" Yonder," said our guide, " is the Long Walk, of nearly 
three miles, shaded all the way by a double row of ancient 
elms. It was replanted in the year i860, and among its 
other advantages is a saline spring of great effect in chronic 
diseases. On one side of Cumberland Lodge is the broad 
approach to the celebrated lake called Virginia Water, of 
which you have heard so much, surrounded by a succession 
of delightful views, improved by artificial aid. It is about 
seven miles in circumference, one mile and a half in length, 
and in width one-third of a mile, and is one of the largest 
artificial sheets of water in England. Now," sakl he, 
"let me draw your attention to Magna Charta aid to 
Runnymede, about three and a half miles off, the spot 



5 6 SCENERY AND SURROUNDINGS. 

where the barons retired that they might the better obtain 
the signature of King John to the charter of English 
liberty, which he gave on the 15th of June, 1215. The 
table on which the great charter was signed is still well 
preserved. Here, according to tradition, Henry VIII. met 
and wooed the beautiful Anna Boleyn, under the large 
yew-tree, which has flourished upwards of a thousand years, 
and is thirty-two feet six inches in circumference. Within 
nine miles of where we stand is the town of Staines, the 
boundary of the city of London, the market-place of Chert- 
sey, where Cowley, the poet, lived and died. St. Ann's 
Hill, near Chertsey, is the place where Charles James Fox 
resided for some years. Ascot Heath and race-course, one 
of the finest spots of the kind in the country, is in view. 
Binfield, away off on the borders of Windsor Forest, was 
once the residence of Pope, and about a mile from the 
village is Pope's Wood, named after his celebrated poem 
of ' The Wood.' The pretty village of Datchet is rendered 
famous by Shakspeare in his 'Merry Wives of Windsor,' 
and is a great resort of anglers. In that direction is 
Beaconsfield, where Waller the poet and Burke the states- 
man lie buried, and near to which Mr. Disraeli resides 
during the summer. Eton College, immediately in our 
front, you will of course visit for yourselves, but it is well 
enough to tell you that it was founded by Henry VI., and 
in 1440 that monarch purchased the perpetual possession 
of the parish of Eton fpr the purpose of this great institu- 
tion. In directing your attention to various other objects 
in the distance, — to Salt Hill ; to Stoke Pogis, the pictur- 
esque church immortalized by Gray's ' Elegy'; to Stoke 
Park, formerly occupied by a portion of the Penn family ; 
to the celebrated Burnham beeches, and in fact to all the 
historic objects in view, and many others which cannot be 
seen, but are full of interesting memoirs, — I have given 
you," said our courteous guide, "a bird's-eye view of one 



IN WHITEFIELD'S CHAPEL. 



57 



of the most thoughtful and exciting localities in the world." 
We then left him, and, as we descended the long stair, I 
told him that I regretted he could not have the opportunity 
of repeating to the people of the United States his agreeable 
personal knowledge of these localities. 

October, 1874. 



XII. 

In Whitefield's Chapel. — Mr. Bevan's Experiences in America. 

I have at last had the experience of seeing a repre- 
sentative body of English people listening to one of their 
favorite orators. On Wednesday evening, October 7, in 
company with Paymaster-General J. O. Bradford, of the 
navy, now stationed here, I walked to Tottenham Court- 
road Chapel, where, according to the newspapers, the Rev. 
Llewelyn C. Bevan was to lecture on the subject, "What 
I Saw and Heard in America." It was George Whitefield 
who founded this church. It is called a "Chapel," is 
one of the headquarters of the Dissenters, exceedingly 
comfortable, with an organ behind the pulpit, cushioned 
seats, and is an admirable place to speak in. It stands 
back from the street or road. I paid a fee of sixpence on 
entrance and another sixpence for a reserved seat. Mr. 
Bevan, who had only just returned, was warmly welcomed 
by a very large audience, composed of well- and even 
elegantly-dressed people, among them many ladies. He 
is a man about forty, with a very handsome presence, fine 
expressive face, his head set square on broad shoulders, 
with something of the look of Anthony J. Drexel, though 
younger, a flexible tenor voice, with not much of the Eng- 
lish yet a good deal of the Welsh dialect. He read rapidly 



5 8 MR. BE VAN'S EXPERIENCES IN AMERICA. 

from notes, which he frequently left for admirable extem- 
pore comment. He was very full of his subject, paying 
much attention to the good ship Scotia, in which he went 
out from Liverpool, all of which was evidently new to an 
audience the greater part of which had probably never 
seen an ocean steamer. He was charmed with Boston — 
especially at the first-class hotel at which he stopped — 
with the politeness of the negro and Irish waiters, the ex- 
quisite cleanliness of the halls and corridors, and the cor- 
diality of the clerk in the office, who, seeing his name on 
the register, immediately addressed him as "Mr. Bevan," 
and after that "he was as intimate with me as if he had 
known all my relations; and so with all the other hotel 
clerks I met in America." 

His description of an American bill of fare convulsed 
his audience with laughter; its length, variety, the excel- 
lence of the cooking, and the manner in which he and his 
wife were accommodated in their bed-chamber ; how they 
were lifted up by the elevator ; how they walked up the 
heavily-carpeted stairs and along the little corridors, but 
he winced a good deal when he found he had to pay for all 
these accommodations four and a half dollars a day, and 
wondered what would have become of his money if he had 
brought his mother-in-law and all his other relations .with 
him. He described with just indignation the frightful 
habit of tobacco spitting and chewing, and spoke of his 
disgust at the manner in which the white floors of our 
public buildings were soiled by this filthy practice. Our 
rivers were to him inland seas ; our lakes great fresh-water 
oceans. The splendid steamers running between New 
York and Boston excited his wonder and delight. He 
could not adequately describe them ; they were simplv 
floating palaces, and three-story palaces at that. The com- 
pany gave him the "Bridal Chamber," the description of 
which occasioned another roar of laughter. It was not a 



MR. SEVAN'S EXPERIENCES IN AMERICA. 



59 



berth like that he had on the ocean steamer, but an airy, 
elegant, even regal room ; and then the music, the great 
crowds of happy people, the splendid prospect, and this 
mighty machine moving along without a jar, at the rate 
of fifteen miles an hour. 

He liked Boston, with its English air and crooked streets, 
and he liked Philadelphia too, except that it was too angu- 
lar, too straight, too regular; but, above all, he enjoyed 
its abounding hospitalities. He stopped with my friend 
Alexander Whildin, on Broad Street, and rode out to see 
the Centennial grounds, and then invoked a blessing, with 
infinite grace and fervor, upon the close of the century of 
American liberty, and hoped that the two nations, with all 
the other nations, would meet there in 1876 in one vast 
community, devoted to peace, commerce, art, and religion. 
"Long," he said, "may the Stars and Stripes and the 
Union Jack float together ! Long may these two great 
English-speaking nations move hand in hand in their great 
mission of peace and progress !" Here the whole audience 
broke out into prolonged cheering. "I deny," he said, 
" that the English people were against the North in the 
late war. I was for the North and you were for the North, 
not so much because we were hostile to slavery, as we were, 
but because we desired to see that mighty empire united 
and unbroken." Another tremendous burst of applause. 
" There are many questions to solve in America," he con- 
tinued, "but let us hope that grace will rest upon them, 
and around them will be found the influence of Almighty 
God." 

He did not like our railroad cars because they gave no 
resting-place for the head, and it was amusing to listen to 
his description of the long rows of seats, two on each side, 
with a passage between, and the manner in which the 
people poured out like ants from their- holes. But what 
interested him most was the general intelligence of the 



6o MR. BE VAN'S EXPERIENCES IN AMERICA. 

people. They were not so inquisitive as he had expected ; 
he was the inquirer, and the people answered always with 
courtesy and wonderful aptitude. " Everybody reads the 
newspapers," he said, "and a great many write for them. 
Every town of ten thousand inhabitants has at least two 
dailies, and where a weekly would starve with us these 
two dailies would prosper. It was amazing to see how 
all classes rush for the newspapers, and my wife became 
alarmed at the manner in which I squandered my pennies 
in that direction." He spoke in this way, touching on 
many other subjects, for more than two hours, as I have 
said, and finished with the remark that he had yet to refer 
to the religious and educational aspects of his experience, 
and that a week hence he would resume his narrative. 
What impressed me during this delightful evening was the 
easy and unimpeded eloquence of the speaker, and the 
magnetic responses by the audience, the occasional " Hear, 
hear!" and frequent expressions of approval. I was so 
much touched that before the vote of thanks to Mr. Bevan 
was put I rose in my seat among the audience, and in 
such fitting terms as I could command — for I confess I was 
literally overwhelmed with emotion at this unexpected and 
hearty tribute to my country — I told him that I regretted 
that all the people of America could not have heard his 
admirable lecture, and that I felt profoundly grateful for 
the just and generous manner in which he had spoken ; 
that we had our faults, and that he had been lenient to 
them, and had estimated us far above our merits; that I 
rejoiced as an American citizen, not as a stranger, for I felt 
that I was among friends, to say that every word he had 
spoken of the kindly feeling entertained for Great Britain 
in America was true, and that I could not recall a single 
newspaper nor a single statesman in my country that enter- 
tained or expressed anything like hostility to Great Britain ; 
that all the causes of our differences had passed away, and 



CAPTAIN CORAM AND STEPHEN GIRARD. 61 

that nothing remained in the future but a common interest 
in art, science, manufactures, and civilization. After which, 
in company with General Bradford, I sought Mr. Bevan's 
acquaintance, and realize that I have made a valuable 
friend, and that in listening to him and in mingling with 
his parishioners I have spent one of the most profitable 
evenings since my sojourn in London. 

October, 1874. 



XIII. 

Captain Coram and Stephen Girard. — The Foundling Hospital in London. 

If there is no monument more instructive to the stranger 
in Philadelphia than Girard College, and the history of the 
eccentric and liberal foreigner who founded it, so there is 
nothing in London more deserving a visit than the Found- 
ling Hospital in Guildford Street, Bloomsbury. Stephen 
Girard began his career as a cabin-boy, sailor, and mate, 
eventually becoming a master and an owner of ships. 
Thomas Coram, who originated the Foundling Hospital in 
London, was also master of a trading vessel, so that these 
remarkable institutions were commenced by men who had 
followed the sea. The difference was that Girard left an 
immense fund at the beginning, while Captain Coram's 
scheme had to grow rich with years. The title of this in- 
stitution indicates its purpose. The present system on 
which children are admitted requires that they should be 
illegitimate ; that the mother should have borne a good 
character previous to her misfortune, and that she be poor, 
and without relations able or willing to maintain the child. 
The mother never sees her child unless she mixes with the 
visitors to the church on Sunday, but may inquire after it 

6 



62 THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL IN LONDON. 

at stated periods, the benevolent object being to hide the 
shame of the mother, as well as to preserve the life of the 
child. There are at present five hundred children receiving 
the benefit of this charity, from extreme infancy to fifteen 
years of age. The girls are put to service at fifteen, and 
the boys to trades at fourteen. The revenue of the hospital 
is derived from the improved value of the site of fifty-six 
acres of land in the heart of London. Originally pur- 
chased in by the Governor in 1741 for five thousand five 
hundred pounds, as London increased the property ad- 
vanced in value, and now is mostly covered with squares, 
and streets, and houses, the ground rents producing an 
annual amount equal to the original purchase money. 

Last Sunday I visited this interesting place, saw the chil- 
dren in church and at their meals, passed through their 
dormitories, examined the pictures and statuary, and at- 
tended the service in the chapel, where the girls and boys 
clustered, the first covering their sweet faces with their 
white aprons when they knelt and prayed ; the second 
folding their hands and bowing their little well-combed 
and many-colored heads. 

The scene was exquisite. Nothing could be more touch- 
ing than these five hundred voices with the enchanting 
tones of the organ, played by a master-hand, and the fine 
accompaniment of other singers, including several profes- 
sionals. The service was prolonged with needless reitera- 
tion, filling up over two hours, and of course putting the 
little people almost unanimously to sleep. The sermon 
which supplemented the whole was brief and sensible. 
These three hours were well spent, and I felt, as we emerged 
into the fresh air, that we had witnessed what we could 
never forget. 

October, 1874. 



HENRY IRVING S "HAMLET: 



63 



XIV. 

Lyceum Theatre. — First Night of Henry Irving's " Hamlet." 

Last Saturday night (October 31) we had Shakspeare in 
London, two hundred and fifty-eight years after his death, 
recalled by his play of " Hamlet," two hundred and sev- 
enty-one years after it was first known, the principal char- 
acter sustained, at the Lyceum Theatre, by Mr. Henry 
Irving, under the management of Mr. H. L. Bateman, who 
had made great efforts to present this immortal production 
with new scenery, costumes, and furniture. At an early 
hour the spectators began to gather, and before the open- 
ing farce was closed every place was occupied ; indeed, no 
tickets could be had at any price a week before. From 
the seat I occupied I had a good opportunity to see and 
hear. 

In a private box to my left was John Oxenford, the critic 
of the London Times, a copy of " Hamlet" open before 
him — tall, white-haired, and evidently eager for the play; 
Mr. George W. Smalley, London correspondent of the 
New York Tribune, at my side; directly in front, Mr. 
George Augustus Sala, a strong head, protruding brow, 
and short, turned-up nose, with his beautiful wife ; a few 
seats farther on, Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Yates ; at the end 
of the first row, Charles Reade, quiet and alone ; close by, 
Chevalier Wikoff, with Mrs. Boucicault and her family, 
and Mrs. E. A. Sothern ; on my left, Mr. Charles Dickens, 
with the face of his father; back of me, Lord and Lady 
Harding, well known in literary and dramatic circles; then 
Miss M. E. Braddon and husband, and in the same vicinity 
Lord Houghton, the poet. I also noticed Justin McCarthy, 



64 HENRY IRVING S "HAMLET." 

James McHenry, and many other celebrities of the press, 
the stage, the bar, Parliament, and society. The deep in- 
terest of the great audience was manifested from the start. 
The earnest conversation, the anxious faces, and the "hush" 
as the moment for raising the curtain drew near, showed the 
event to be of universal concern. It was like the first night 
of the new work of a favorite author. 

Shakspeare, acted in the calm atmosphere of English 
experience, is of necessity a riper fruit than its transplanted 
copy — that must be admitted. So much that was new to 
me last Saturday night was not so new to many of those 
around me. But Mr. Irving took them frequently by sur- 
prise, and several times carried critics and audience fairly 
off their feet. The first act was a scenic wonder. Here 
Irving revealed his intellectual purpose. Here he fore- 
shadowed his plan of making Hamlet a colloquial, not a 
declamatory, character. He was subdued in voice and 
manner throughout, until his emotions carried him away, 
and in these he was intense rather than loud. The Ghost 
(Mr. Mead) was successfully sepulchral, and was aided by 
a contrivance never seen, I think, in America. He leads 
Hamlet into a ravine near the rocky coast, and warns him 
in a mist, which half conceals his figure, and finally hides 
him altogether as the dawn advances. This was finely 
done ; but it was the art of the scene-painter alone. Irving 
is a slight, dark man, the size of Edwin Booth, with a long 
stride, a fine dark eye, a pale face, black hair, and a stoop, 
with a voice not unlike the elder Booth. He is called 
affected, but all stage tragedy is affected. The most 
successful tragic actors have been the most extravagant. 
They are like famous statues and pictures ; it is their exag- 
geration that awakens and holds the passions. Nature is 
never so effective as when dramatic genius gives it new 
grace or force. And Irving is of the school that invites 
imitation. There never was a successful tragedian whose 



HEXRY IRVING S "HAMLET." 



65 



best points were not imitated and ridiculed, and who did 
not make his fame by his eccentricities. Need I quote the 
travesties of Kean, Kemble, Macready, Charlotte Cush- 
maii, and, above all, of Forrest? This young man Irving 
did not succeed by his odd ways, but by his wonderful 
quietude. Here he was attractively peculiar. " Hamlet," 
well set, with a good company, always holds any ordinary 
audience. It is a fine story, and fills two or three hours 
profitably; but a new Prince, with a fresh young head on 
his shoulders, and a talent for finding strange jewels in the 
old mine, and who makes gray, seasoned judges stare, and 
finally applaud — such a man is a discoverer ; and it is in 
this that Irving will sway the theatres of both continents 
before he gets through. 

Not to speak of his interview with the guards on the 
platform, or with the Ghost, in tones hardly ever above 
ordinary talk, his rare powers were first clear to me when 
he met Rosencrantz and Guihierstein, and wormed their 
secret that they had been sent for to manage him. Here 
we had the student using his princely name and his boyish 
impulse to confuse his schoolfellows, and he did it in a 
grace and style most fascinating. 

The London Examiner complains that his whole ideal of 
Hamlet is too intellectual ; but that alone will make it a 
permanent favorite. He gives us a young nobleman, who 
talks like a scholar, not like a stump-speaker ; who, in his 
fine soliloquy "To be, or not to be !" takes the reflective 
mood seated, leans his face on his hand as he begins, and 
ponders to himself and not as if he were roaring to a mob. 
How novel and touching Irving's speech to the players ! 
He comes in with the leader of the strollers, arm in arm, 
in easy converse, in a quick walk, and, as he enters, he 
says, "Speak the speech," etc. No wonder the house 
came down at this like an avalanche. Nor, in the same 
fine spirit, but full of affection, did he fail to sway and 

6* 



66 HENRY IRVING' 'S "HAMLET." 

sweep his audience in his devotion to Horatio. This was 
simply exquisite, and yet he never once raised his voice out 
of a conversational tone. All fair Hamlets make points 
out of the players' scene before the King and Queen. 'The 
stage was splendidly upholstered and attended. It was the 
King 's reception-room, robed in Danish hangings, with 
the regal chairs of the period, a recess with scrolls and 
books, crowded with guards and pages clad in the Court 
attire. The act over, the play a "hit," the uncle-king 
and queen-mother frightened off, Irving flings himself into 
the monarch's vacant chair, and gives way to his hysteric 
joy. Here he was magnificent, full-armed with new points. 
So in his after-banter with the courtiers, with Polonius, with 
his mother in the finale of the third act. Art could really 
go no higher, I thought, in these fine revelations. He 
spoke the contrast between the Kings, not with the two 
portaits or miniatures before him, but in his mind's eye, 
and with great effect. These successive triumphs closed 
the interest of the play. The piece consumed four hours, 
and the audience worried through the last two acts with 
evident impatience. 

November, 1874. 



CRYSTAL PALACE AT SYDENHAM. 67 



XV. 

Crystal Palace at Sydenham. 

The Directory of the Crystal Palace is composed of 
eight gentlemen; Thomas Hughes, Esq. ("Tom Brown"), 
the chairman. I had the pleasure of renewing my ac- 
quaintance with him. He recalled his pleasant recollec- 
tions of Philadelphia, and expressed his earnest interest in 
the prosperity of our Centennial. 

Since 1854, thirty-four millions of visitors, a large pro- 
portion of them Americans, have been attracted by this 
marvellous treasure-house. Take Capitol Hill, in Wash- 
ington City, or George's Hill, in Fairmount Park, each 
the crest of a magnificent natural panorama, the first facing 
a glorious amphitheatre made by the curve of the Potomac 
River, and the second overlooking the Schuylkill and Dela- 
ware and the superb rural domain including the garden 
counties of Eastern Pennsylvania, and you may have some 
idea of the height which is crowned by what well deserves 
to be called the most instructive and novel exhibition in 
Europe. A temple of inconceivable beauty stretches along 
this elevation, towering high into the air, and easily seen 
from a long distance. Studied from the outer grounds — 
say, from the Italian flower-garden — you obtain an admir- 
able view of the whole crystal structure. The stupendous 
length of the building, its wonderful aerial appearance, and 
its vast and dazzling effects, produce an impression surpass- 
ing every other architectural elevation in the world. 

The main building consists of a grand central nave, two 
side aisles, two main galleries, two transepts, and two 
wings. Above the level of this main floor it is constructed 



68 CRYSTAL PALACE AT SYDENHAM. 

entirely of iron and glass, with the exception of a portion 
of the western section, which is panelled with wood. The 
whole length of the main building of the Crystal Palace is 
one thousand six hundred and eight feet, the wings five 
hundred and seventy-four feet each, making a total length 
of two thousand seven hundred and fifty-six feet, which, 
with the seven hundred and twenty feet in the colonnade 
leading from the railway station to the wings, gives a total 
length of three thousand four hundred and seventy-six feet, 
or nearly three-quarters of a mile, covered with a trans- 
parent roof of glass. This edifice took nearly twenty years 
to reach its present perfection. As you pass in from the 
low, level railway you enter by a colonnade seven hundred 
and twenty feet long by seventeen feet wide, with a super- 
ficial area of fifteen thousand five hundred feet, and by a 
covered passage of glass and iron. Here you receive at 
one glance a coup d' ceil unspeakably glorious. Nothing 
touches the observer more in this mighty receptacle than 
the copies of the antiquities, the architecture, sculpture, 
and mural decorations of the ages in chronological sequence. 
They include all styles, from the earliest known time, from 
the remote ages of Egypt to the sixteenth century; the 
originals brought back in faithful similitudes, not in minia- 
ture but in full size. Here are Egyptian, Greek, Roman 
Courts, — the latter with a fine model of a portion of the 
Coliseum, showing its enormous range, capable of seating 
eighty-seven thousand spectators. 

Now we stand in the Alhambra, with its Saracenic and 
Moorish architecture, sprung from the Byzantine period. 
The novel gorgeousness, the exquisite fineness of the work 
in gold, green, and red, recall the descriptions of Washing- 
ton Irving. There are no statues or pictures here, for the 
religion of the Moors forbade the representation of living 
objects. But the delicately wrought tracery on every side, 
the concentration of artistic power and skill, irresistibly 



CRYSTAL PALACE AT SYDENHAM. 69 

enchain your attention. The German Mediaeval Court is 
another interesting section. The English Mediaeval Court 
extends over a long space, with its startling history in 
statues and castle-churches. Then the French and Italian 
Mediaeval Vestibules, and the Renaissance Court, beginning 
with the fifteenth century. But perhaps nothing is more 
visited and marvelled at than the Pompeian Court of nearly 
eighteen hundred years ago. I do not pretend in these 
dislocated remarks to give my American readers anything 
more than a glimpse, much less to enter into a narrative, 
of the nave and the transepts, the figures and animals from 
all the islands of the sea, alike of India, Asia, Africa, and 
America ; the long lines of statues in marble or plaster, the 
wonderful marine aquarium, or the endless picture-gallery, 
said to be, if not the finest, the largest in the world, in the 
upper regions of the palace. These would require a volume. 

The prospect from the great towers embraces an horizon 
including parts of six counties, — Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, 
Essex, Bedfordshire, and Bucks, — the towers of London 
and Windsor, and the downs of Epsom. A fine family 
hotel adjoins the palace, where rooms can be obtained 
at reasonable rates, overlooking the rich historic scene 
to which I have referred. Many persons take lodgings 
here and remain for days, while in the thickly-populated 
neighborhood are found hundreds of students, educated in 
the various schools of the palace, who reside there during 
their terms. 

The distance from London is about ten miles. The 
price of admission to the palace and grounds on the first 
three days of the week is one shilling. Schools are ad- 
mitted on fete days at sixpence each. Eighty-five thousand 
persons have been fed in one day by the refreshment de- 
partment, under Mr. Frederick Sawyer, and excellent din- 
ners are provided inside the building for one hundred to 
five hundred persons. By inquiring at the office I obtained 



70 CRYSTAL PALACE AT SYDENHAM. 

from the books the following figures : In 187 1, for one day 
in August, the Foresters' fete-day, eighty-four thousand 
nine hundred and twenty-five people were entertained in 
the palace and grounds; in 1872, on the same occasion, 
eighty-four thousand nine hundred and fifty-five; in 1873, 
sixty-eight thousand five hundred and forty-three ; and in 
1874, sixty thousand eight hundred and thirty-two. The 
grounds themselves, with all their adornments of statuary, 
buildings, and walks, deserve especial notice, and if you 
lift your vision over and beyond you see the waters of the 
lakes and islands, with life-size illustrations of the mon- 
strous animals that inhabited the earth countless ages ago, 
when the world was young; and far beyond the palace pre- 
cincts is visible the great garden of nature, always a picture 
of rural loveliness almost unmatched by any scene so close 
to the great London town. 

There is one point to which I would direct especial atten- 
tion, and that is the Crystal Palace system of education in 
art, science, and technology. In the "Ladies' Depart- 
ment" there are four hundred pupils. A lady can learn 
drawing and water-coloring for three pounds and three 
shillings for twelve lessons, and seven pounds and seven 
shillings for thirty-six lessons. The same for drawing and 
modelling, .and the same for painting in oil from the life. 
The price for English, German, French, and other lan- 
guages, ranges from two pounds and two shillings to five 
pounds and five shillings for three months. Cooking and 
practical economy are taught separately for two pounds and 
two shillings for twelve lessons ; artistic wood-carving, 
twelve lessons for three pounds and three shillings. The 
nobility send many of their children here, and a few days 
before my visit Sir Edward Thornton's daughters were 
admitted. The professors selected to teach the different 
studies include some of the first intellects of England. 
The famous Sir Julius Benedict presides on Thursday over 



CRYSTAL PALACE AT SYDENHAM. 7I 

the musical department ; Edward Goodall on Wednesday 
over the drawing and modelling; C. Arniitage over the 
painting in oil ; W. R. Shenton over the drawing, and 
Mrs. Mary Hooper over the practical domestic economy 
and cooking. 

Not to speak of the technological department, or the 
school of practical engineering, each worth a long descrip- 
tion, let me pass to the reading-room and library, where I 
find two special features most worthy of imitation. The 
first is a complete representation of practical advertising 
of all new books and older publications, British and for- 
eign, and a means of obtaining all literary information. 
The second, the reading-room, fitted like a club room, is 
supplied with two hundred and fifty newspapers and jour- 
nals, and is well warmed and ventilated. Accommodation 
for writing, with post-office and telegraph departments, 
statistical information, and all similar conveniences, are 
found here. The library adjoining is open for consulta- 
tion by means of a catalogue, and visitors can obtain from 
it any book they please. The British and French pub- 
lishers are awarded space here, where they print the name 
of the firm and notices of their books, for which great 
privilege they gladly supply gifts of their respective fresh 
publications. I found the newspapers arranged in alpha- 
betical order, but only two were American. 

November, 1874. 



72 



MONCURE D. CONWAY IN THE PULPIT. 



XVI. 

Moncure D. Conway in the Pulpit. — His Peculiar Disbeliefs. 

Among the best-known preachers in London is Moncure 
D. Conway, the head of the Materialistic congregation at 
South Place Chapel, Finsbury, the temple in which for 
many years preached the celebrated W. J. Fox, some time 
member of Parliament for Oldham, and known as the 
champion of the principles of Radical Democracy. Mr. 
Conway is a Virginian, who came here first as an advanced 
advocate of the Union cause seven years ago. The prom- 
inence with which he identified himself with the North in 
London soon gave him a large hold among certain advanced 
thinkers who have always sympathized with America. In 
this way he was called to the pulpit at Finsbury, where he 
continues to preside, attracting large numbers every Sunday 
morning by the peculiarities of his opinions and his style. 
His ability is conceded to be of the highest order. A 
tall, spare man of about forty, with a most intellectual yet 
ascetic face, closely resembling John A. Kasson of Iowa, 
member of Congress, his oratory is quite unpretending, 
rarely rising to declamation, and only when presenting his 
strongest point expressing intensity. He is of the mate- 
rialistic school, in fact a bow-shot beyond John Stuart Mill 
in his Theism, rejecting a personal deity and insisting that 
what we call God is within us — our inner conception, man- 
ifested by our aspirations after truth. It was a novel sensa- 
tion to follow this brilliant student and scholar through his 
intricate reasonings in support of this position, and to mark 
the effect of his rhetoric upon his large and thoughtful 
audience, most of whom belonged to the better classes. 



MONCURE D. CONWAY IN THE PULPIT. 73 

They accept his platform with enthusiasm, and as most of 
them are people of rare culture, their number is rapidly 
increasing. The singing was exquisite, and the hymns, 
of which I here transcribe two, were given with unusual 
sweetness and power. 

ANTHEM. 

We never, never will bow down 

To the rude stock or sculptured stone. 

We worship God, and God alone. 

HYMN. 

Everlasting ! changing never ! 

Of one strength, no more, no less, 
Thine almightiness forever. 

Ever one Thy holiness ; 
Thee eternal. 

Thee all glorious, we possess. 

Shall things withered, fashions olden, 
Keep us from life's flowing spring? 

Waits for us the promise gulden, 
Waits each new diviner thing. 

Onward ! onward ! 
Why this hopeless tarrying ? 

Nearer to Thee would we venture, 

Of Thy truth more largely take; 
Upon life diviner enter, 

Into day more glorious break ! 
To the ages 

Fair bequests and costly make. 

By the old aspirants glorious, 

By each soul heroical, 
By the strivers half victorious. 

By thy Jesus and thy Paul, 

Truth's own martyrs. 

We are summoned one and all. 

By each saving word unspoken, 

By Thy truth, as yet half won, 
By each idol still unbroken, 
D 7 



74 MR. CONWAY'S PECULIAR DISBELIEFS. 

By Thy will, yet poorly done, 

O Almighty ! 
We are borne resistless on. 



Mr. Conway receives two hundred and fifty pounds, or 
one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars, a year for 
preaching once on Sunday morning at South Place Church, 
and probably almost as much for his discourses on Sunday 
evening at Camden-town. He is also the correspondent 
of an American journal, a contributor on theological sub- 
jects to several of the London scientific reviews, and a 
great favorite in society. I could not help smiling on 
Sunday, after Conway had denied the existence of a devil 
and proclaimed his doubt as to a personal deity, insisting 
that every man had his own God in his better actions, 
when among the announcements of the proceedings of the 
coming week he read a notice of a lecture to be delivered 
at St. George's Hall, by Dr. Zerffi, of the South Kensing- 
ton Museum, on the " Concrete and Abstract Nature of 
the Devil." An American gentleman at my side, who had 
been repeatedly startled by the extraordinary positions of 
Mr. Conway, quietly remarked, "What is the use of lec- 
turing about the devil, when he has just been trying to 
convince us that he has no existence?" 

November, 1874. 



HARROW-ON-THE-HILL. 75 

XVII. 

Harrow-on-the-Hill. — Records of Illustrious Schoolboys. 

Two weeks ago, on a very fine day (November n), I 
visited the famous school of Harrow-on-the-Hill, situated 
about seven miles north of London. It derives its chief 
claim from its start as a "free grammar school." The 
founder was John Lyon, yeoman, the owner of a farm at 
Preston, a neighboring village, and in the year 1571 Queen 
Elizabeth granted the charter, but it was not until 1590 
that the laws of the school were framed. The primitive 
object of the founder was the teaching of thirty poor chil- 
dren of the parish of Harrow, to which end he had de- 
voted a yearly sum during his lifetime of " twenty marks 
of lawful English money;" but in his will he set apart a 
large body of land and tenements for the purpose of erect- 
ing a free grammar school, to remain there forever under 
certain restrictions. 

The school-building consists of the master's house (the 
school- and speech-room) and the chapel. They are built 
in the Elizabethan style, of red brick, with neat stone 
dressings, unencumbered by any elaborate ornament, lofty 
bay-windows being the prominent features in the school- 
and speech-rooms. The school, erected about three years 
after the founder's decease, stands below the church, a little 
to the south. The arrangement of the interior of the an- 
cient part of the building remains exactly in its original 
state. 

The ancient school-room is oblong, about fifty feet in 
length by twenty-one wide, and proportionably high. The 
walls are wainscoted with oak to about one-half of their 
elevation, above which are large, square, heavy- framed 



7 6 HARK O IV- ON- THE- HILL. 

windows. The room- has a gloomy appearance, which is 
somewhat increased by the dingy color of the wainscoting, 
entirely covered with the names of many generations of 
Harrovians, cut in the panels in every variety of shape, 
size, and character. 

These inscriptions are held in great veneration, and are 
certainly extremely interesting. They are not suffered to 
be desecrated by paint or varnish, but remain exactly in 
the rude state in which they were cut. Among them will 
be found the names of many distinguished public char- 
acters of the last eighty or ninety years ; of Dr. Parr, 
Sheridan (only the initials R. B. S.), W. Jones ('Sir Wil- 
liam), Bennett (Bishop of Cloyne), Ryder (Bishop of 
Lichfield and Coventry), Murray (Bishop of Rochester), 
Dymocke (the Champion), Ryder (Lord Harrowby), Tem- 
ple (Lord Palmerston), Hartington (Duke of Devonshire), 
Lord Normanby, Lord Byron, and Peel (Sir Robert). On 
account of the lamented death of Sir Robert Peel, this in- 
scription has excited considerable interest ; it is carved on 
the panel to the left of the seat of the head-master, and it 
is pleasing to observe that on the same panel appear the 
names of three of his sons, " R. Peel, 1835 ;" " F. Peel, 
1836;" and " W. Peel, 1837." Between the two last let- 
ters of Sir Robert Peel's name, and in smaller letters, 
appears the name of (Spencer) Perceval. 

Among the objects of interest to be noticed in the library 
are the portraits of Dr. Parr, Lord Byron, and John Sayer, 
captain of the school in 1770, afterward founder of the 
Sayer Scholarships] a bust in marble of Lord Byron, pre- 
sented by Lord Dungannon ; a sword worn by Lord Byron 
when in Greece, and a rich mosaic table from the Temple 
of Peace at Rome, presented by Captain Keane. 

On the 20th of May, 1871, three hundred years since 
the original charter was granted by Queen Elizabeth, the 
anniversary was commemorated by a statement of the 



HARROW- ON- THE-HILL. 



77 



extraordinary history and progress of Harrow School. 
The number of scholars in 1745 had risen to one hundred 
and thirty; and on that day, in 1S71, the number had 
grown to five hundred and sixty-seven. It is six hundred 
now, and the applications for admission are more numerous 
than at any former time. In the chapel, the church, and 
the school there is no distinction of seats for sons of noble- 
men. It was for this reason that Rufus King, the American 
ambassador, sent his sons to Harrow, as the only school 
where no ostensible distinction was shown to rank. There 
are several Americans now among the scholars. No charge 
is made for tuition, but all the other expenses amount to 
about two hundred and fifty pounds or one thousand two 
hundred dollars a year; and, judging by the fact that it is 
now rather an institution of the aristocracy than for the 
class for which it was intended, considerable discrimination 
is exercised. John Lyon's original bequest has largely in- 
creased in value. The building leases left to repair the 
road from London to Harrow, and other property in the 
neighborhood, which sixty years ago produced only one 
hundred pounds per annum, now return an annual income 
of over four thousand pounds; but it is much complained 
that this income should be used rather for keeping roads 
in repair than for additional accommodations for the 
scholars on the hill itself. The visitor reaches this mag- 
nificent elevation by ascending a steep, long hill, which 
rises in the midst of the flat surrounding country, from 
which Windsor Castle is visible, with an intervening space 
of highly cultivated landscape. The hedge-rows are still 
green, among which stately elms luxuriously wave. When 
we walked around the ancient enclosure in this lofty seat 
of learning, after passing through the beautiful English 
village of Harrow, the air was so pure, the country so quiet 
and fresh, and the trees hardly yet stripped of their au- 
tumnal leaves, — the fact that more than five hundred boys 

7* 



78 FLYING VISIT TO BRIGHTON. 

had gone home for a day's holiday leaving very few of 
the youngsters at their favorite games, — it seemed almost 
impossible that we were within view of giant London, with 
its four millions of people. For hours we wandered about 
the historic grounds, amid a solitude so profound that it 
was easy to recall the clustering memories of the past. 

November, 1874. 



XVIII. 

Flying Visit to Brighton. 



While American watering-places are probably assailed 
with storm and snow, and certainly closed to all visitors, 
the South Coast of England is radiant with fashion and 
wealth ; and Brighton, queen of the circle of these lovely 
cities by the sea, finds her regular population of eighty 
thousand nearly trebled by crowds of visitors. Brighton 
is about fifty miles from London — less than two hours by 
rail ; and when I got here the first sight was the sea as 
smooth as glass, exactly like the aspect of the Atlantic 
from the American beach on a summer afternoon. Imagine 
Long Branch on a hill facing the ocean ; the beach ex- 
tending back, and the town seated on a hill ; a long, level 
drive raised above the sands, flanked by three miles of 
bright stone palaces, and behind these crescents of streets, 
of the same material, busy with trade and travel — in fact, 
a mimic London. It was a crisp November day in London, 
and we had cold feet on the ride ; but here the breath of 
the sea seemed to temper and lighten the air. There was 
no frost ; men were working in the gardens ; the birds 
were singing on the wing ; the sun shone warm on the 






MANCHESTER. 



79 



water ; and though there were rugs in the passing carriages, 
and the stout English on the Parade wore heavy coats, the 
climate was very like our Indian summer. The winter is 
the season of the aristocracy, and they seemed to be here 
in force, judging by the long procession of equipages, the 
throngs in the magnificent hotels, and the universal gayety. 
Here all is solid ; no frame houses, ready to take fire and 
burn like tinder, but permanent and massive architecture, 
recalling ages past and defying ages to come. 

It is difficult to say which is most the glory of Brighton, 
its superb Parade or its Aquarium, directly on the coast. 
The latter is a subterranean palace, a succession of grot- 
toes filled with living inhabitants of the sea. It was a fairy 
home under-ground, and the effect was heightened by the 
strains of a fine band of music, sounding as it were from 
the distant caves, as if in harmony with the falling waters. 

November, 1874. 



XIX. 

Manchester and Rochdale. — Visit to John Bright, M.P., Tribune of the 
People. 

"Cotton is undoubtedly king!" you exclaim, as you 
ride through the royal streets of Manchester. And even 
more so since the abolition of slavery in the United States. 
The cotton used in Manchester is chiefly from South Caro- 
lina and Georgia, grown upon the small islands of the sea- 
coast bordering upon those States, and is therefore called 
"sea-island cotton." When Mr. Roebuck, one of the 
members for Sheffield, demanded in the House of Com- 
mons that the paper blockade should be broken in order 



80 MANCHESTER. 

that cotton might be supplied to the suffering districts in 
England, he was properly answered that the time would 
never come when the produce of slave labor would again 
supply that prime ingredient of British prosperity. "You 
will never procure cotton from the United States unless 
from the hands of freemen," was the reply of one of the 
few members of Parliament who stood by the North in its 
trying and tumultuous days. And now, as you study the 
enormous production of the great district of which the city 
of Manchester is the capital, you will realize the fulfilment 
of this splendid prophecy. 

Better than this is the happier change in the feelings of 
the people, not of Manchester alone, but of all this opu- 
lent Kingdom. The downfall of slavery has given them 
all, and more than all, the cotton they require from the 
United States, has opened to them the door of a wider and 
more diversified commerce, has filled their hearts with 
kindlier sympathies for their American kindred, has extin- 
guished the last embers of war, and is bringing the two 
great English-speaking nations into closer neighborhood 
every hour of every passing day. 

Manchester, one hundred and eighty miles west of Lon- 
don and over thirty-one miles east from Liverpool, is the 
centre of a district which includes thirty-one towns, all of 
them mostly engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods 
of almost endless varieties. Here you find the latest im- 
provements in machinery, and the different methods by 
which the steam-engine has decreased human labor. For- 
merly every little cottage by the roadside, every other 
house in the smaller streets of the towns, had at least one 
hand-loom with a weaver at work. Now there are hun- 
dreds of looms, and in some cases upwards of one thou- 
sand, in a single one of these stupendous factories, all 
worked by steam-power, and attended by young women 
and girls. Apart from the incalculable production of va- 



VISIT TO JOHN BRIGHT, M.P. 8 1 

rious cotton -cloths, so called, some of the weaving-facto- 
ries make velveteen, fnstian, moleskin, etc., while others 
confine themselves to sewing- and knitting-cotton, tape, 
thread, and other little etceteras of a lady's work-box. A 
million yards of tape are produced in one mill in the 
course of a week. 

In company with the Right Honorable John Bright, 
M.P., the illustrious man whose name is sincerely loved 
and venerated in the United States, — in the North, because 
of his determined devotion to its cause during the war, 
and even in the South, in view of his persistent advocacy 
of free trade, heretofore accepted in that region, — I passed 
through the mills belonging to the great firm of which he 
is still a partner, and heard his description in full view of 
the practical evidences of the progress of the manufacture 
of cotton. He pointed out the various processes by which, 
from the raw material to the finest fabrics, including beauti- 
ful carpeting, this wonderful industry has developed human 
genius and lessened human labor. Together we mounted 
the long stairs leading to the extended floors, upon some 
of which there were as many as five hundred girls and 
women employed ; together we descended to the regions 
where the cotton was cleaned, separated, dyed, and sent 
forth to the various other departments, and finally witnessed 
the exquisite finish of the complete material as it was being 
packed and directed to the markets of the world. Roch- 
dale, the beautiful town in which Mr. Bright lives, one of 
many of equal prosperity and magnificence, is about ten 
miles from Manchester, and you approach it by rail, bor- 
dered on both sides by huge rows of factories. In the 
evening it was a wonderful sight, as I looked through the 
window from the train upon this almost unbroken illumina- 
tion, showing thousands of human beings still at work, 
preparing goods for their own and distant nations. Roch- 
dale contains upwards of forty thousand people actively 

D* 



82 TRIBUNE OF THE PEOPLE. 

engaged in the manufacture of cottons and calicoes, and is 
directly on the Yorkshire border, which is the great wool 
district, where the factories are mainly engaged in the pro- 
duction of flannels, wool, fustians, and friezes. Many of 
these fabrics are also made in Rochdale, and there is 
scarcely a neighboring hamlet without a woollen- or cotton- 
mill. 

Of John Bright at home, in the bosom of his family, I 
cannot speak. I was his guest during two delightful days, 
and do not feel justified in discussing what transpired at 
his fireside 'in the unrestrained freedom of private life. 
It will, however, gratify our countrymen to hear that he 
is restored to excellent health, and that he is now, as he 
has always been, the devoted counsellor and friend of 
America. 

Mr. Bright lives in a substantial house, with modest out- 
buildings, on an eminence overlooking the town, directly 
in view of the cotton-mills of the firm, and over the way 
from his brother Thomas, whose residence is a contrast, 
with its pictures and statuary, to the plain and unpretend- 
ing home of the eminent Commoner. Jacob Bright, former 
M.P. for Manchester,* is also a Rochdale man. I did not 
meet him, but I was present when he presided at a Woman's 
Rights gathering in the parlor of the Mayor of that place, 
and heard his speech — a quiet, sensible statement in favor 
of female householders voting at all elections, instead of 
as now (and this was good news to me) only in the choice 
of city officers. Jacob does not resemble his brother John 
in the slightest ; the latter has one of those countenances 
which beam with benevolence, and when lighted up, as is 
frequently the case, are singularly magnetic. Imagine such 
a man before ten thousand people, swaying them with the 
added fascinations of a strong brain and a melodious voice. 

* Re-elected n 1876. 



MOlYSIGNOK CAPEL. 83 

Jacob is tall, gray, and graceful in manner, alike of talk 
and walk, and I do not know how better to bring John 
Bright before you than to say he is not unlike John O. 
James or Colonel Thomas A. Scott, with a pair of white 
whiskers running under the chin, and snowy hair. 

Rochdale has the honor of being the first place in Eng- 
land that started the system of co-operative stores, which 
present here an important social feature. The Equitable 
Pioneers' Society number nearly seven thousand in their 
ranks, and the North of England Co-operative Society 
more than thirty-two thousand. The system is extended 
to various branches of business, such as corn-mills, lands 
and buildings, manufactures, etc. The new central store 
at St. Mary's Gate cost ten thousand pounds, and is worth 
seeing. 

December, 1874. 



XX. 

Monsignor Capel. — His Preaching. — Catholics in the United Kingdom. 

The favorite Catholic orator, Monsignor F. J. Capel, 
resides in a beautiful mansion, Cedar Villa, Wright's Lane, 
Kensington. It was purchased from Mr. E. A. Sothern 
(Lord Dundreary), the actor, is set in handsome grounds, 
and has the air of a comfortable student's retreat. It is 
near the newly established Catholic college of which 
Monsignor Capel is the chief, and in close vicinity to the 
Cathedral. I found him alone, when, in response to his 
imitation through Mr. Girard and Mr. Saner, correspond- 
ents of New York papers, we lunched with him, and had 
the pleasure of enjoying his fascinating conversation. He 



84 MONSIGNOR CAPEL. 

is young, evidently not yet forty, of fine presence, hand- 
some face and features, erect, tall, and stout. He soon put 
us at our ease, and we talked on various topics with the 
utmost familiarity and freedom. In a marked English 
accent, for the Monsignor is an Englishman born, and 
with a pronunciation singularly pure and distinct, he con- 
versed with us for more than an hour with candor and 
ability. A profound Catholic, believing in all the recent 
declarations of his Church, he is, nevertheless, keenly sen- 
sitive in regard to his loyalty as an Englishman, and does 
not hesitate to take strong issue with Mr. Gladstone's state- 
ment that a fervent believer in Papal infallibility and the 
Immaculate Conception cannot, in consequence, be a 
faithful British subject. He was preparing a rejoinder to 
the late English Premier, which is intended, like the great 
"Expostulation," to be cheaply printed for universal 
circulation. 

The title of Monsignor has been conferred upon only 
four or five Catholic priests in England, and is intended as 
a reward for having performed signal service to the Catho- 
lic Church near the Pontiff, and, in his case, as a recogni- 
tion of high talents. Those who have read " Lothair," 
the last novel of Mr. Disraeli, the present British Prime 
Minister, need not to be told that this Monsignor Capel is 
the same who figures in its brilliant pages. The peculiar 
province of this gifted priest is believed to be the conver- 
sion to Catholicism of eminent English men and women, 
one of his captives for the Church having been the young 
and wealthy Marquis of Bute, whom he met in a foreign 
country and convinced by his rare personal and mental 
attractions. 

Preferring not to enter into the controversy now raging 
in England, I directed the attention of the Monsignor to 
the number of gentlemen of the Catholic religion in 
America whose friendship I had enjoyed, and I was glad 



]\IOA r SlGNOR CAPEL'S PREACHING-. S5 

to observe that most of them were familiar names to him. 
We talked of the late Archbishop Hughes, of New York ; 
of the present Archbishop McCloskey ; of Bishop Wood, 
of Philadelphia — and on this subject we dwelt for a long 
time ; of my personal friend, Daniel Dougherty, of whom 
he spoke with much admiration ; of the venerable Father 
Keenan, of Lancaster, still living when I left America last 
July, at a great age — ninety-five — and I hope yet remain- 
ing among his people; and of many more, including the 
Catholics who had figured in our public councils, fought in 
our armies, and held high rank in the republic of letters. 
I then called his attention to the celebration of the Cen- 
tennial of American Independence, and gave him a rapid 
sketch of the causes which led to our separation from Great 
Britain and the benefits which had resulted to both countries 
from it, and the universal anxiety in the United States to 
cultivate yet closer relations with the great English-speak- 
ing nation of the world. We commented at length on 
that noble feature in our Constitution, the separation of 
Church and State, and the incalculable blessings that had 
crowned our experience in that regard. 

Last Sunday evening I attended the Spanish Chapel, near 
Manchester Square, and heard a sermon by the Monsignor. 
This handsome chapel was crowded to suffocation, and I 
had much difficulty in obtaining a seat in the upper gallery 
near the organ. The Monsignor occupied the pulpit, situ- 
ated on the left side, about midway between the beautiful 
columns. He was dressed in full canonicals ; and after 
reading the last decree of the Pope, in which all unbelievers 
in his infallibility and in the Immaculate Conception were 
anathematized, he proceeded with rare ease to pronounce 
an extempore oration, in which he enforced the last mess 
from Rome with much emphasis. I must confess that he 
did not make his case very strong to my mind. His 1 
bilities are unquestioned, and I could readily perceive why 

8 



86 ENGLAND AND THE CENTENNIAL. 

he had attained a commanding position, but I did not find 
the learning nor the philosophy I had looked for. The 
fact is, the sermon was rather orthodox than Catholic — in 
truth, a little commonplace, having few salient points, save 
indeed where he announced his full concurrence in the 
Papal decree; on the whole, a very sensible and practical 
appeal to his hearers. The singing was fine, the worship- 
pers most devout, and the service neither tiresome nor 
lengthy. 

December, 1874. 



XXI. 

England and the Centennial. — Vienna Exhibition. — Our Advantages. 

Considering that the British Government makes a merit 
of acting with due deliberation, it was only natural that 
some time should elapse before a decision should be reached 
in regard to the International Exhibition at Philadelphia 
on the Fourth of July, 1876. The former Ministry under 
Mr. Gladstone had, I understand, declined to take part in 
our Centennial for prudential reasons, doubtless in conse- 
quence of the unusual monetary revolution which began in 
America in September, 1873; anc ^ their successors under 
Mr. Disraeli, mindful of this memory, evidently waited 
until they could see their way clear. But the subject itself 
gradually took hold of the public mind. 

At first there was a strange indifference throughout Great 
Britain. One by one the great newspapers took it up, and 
by means of correspondence and personal interviews the 
matter reached the provinces and the great cities of the 
United Kingdom, until within the last month the Philadel- 



ENGLAND AND THE CENTENNIAL. 87 

phia World's Fair assumed an importance and a dignity 
which could not escape official attention. The energy of 
the American legation in London, seconded by the hearty 
appeals of Sir Edward Thornton, British minister at Wash- 
ington, during his late sojourn here, kept the subject steadily 
before the Ministry, and on the third of this month, Lord 
Derby addressed a letter to the United States minister, 
cordially accepting President Grant's invitation, and in- 
forming him that the British Government would take all 
necessary measures to be properly represented at Philadel- 
phia in 1876. On the 5th instant General Schenck replied 
to this letter in appropriate terms. 

The importance of the recognition of our exhibition by 
the British Government cannot be overestimated. Judging 
by the British department at Vienna in 1873, and by the 
many powerful reasons which will operate to secure its 
larger representation at Philadelphia, we may now look 
forward to an example which cannot fail to act magically 
at home. This example will prove the necessity of the in- 
ternational feature repeated in the bill which passed Con- 
gress on the 5th June last. You will recollect that many 
distinguished men doubted the propriety of that feature, 
and the illustrious Charles Sumner expressed his opinion 
that Great Britain would not participate in the celebration 
of the close of the first century of American civilization. 
Yet now, in the face of the acceptance of all the European 
powers, with I believe one exception, supplemented by the 
great authority of the United Kingdom, we may prepare 
for a demonstration in America one year from the Fourth of 
July next that must enlist the best capacities of our people. 

The volume published by the British Commission in 
1874, containing a full account of its proceedings in re- 
gard to the Vienna Universal Exhibition, is large and 
beautifully printed. The British commissioners were : His 
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, K.G., President; 



88 VIENNA EXHIBITION. 

the Right Hon. Sir A. Buchanan, her Majesty's ambassador 
at the Court of Vienna ; his Serene Highness the Duke of 
Teck ; his Serene Highness Count Gleichen ; the Most 
Honorable the Marquis of Ripon, Lord President of the 
Council; Right Honorable Lord Cathcart, President of 
the Royal Agricultural Society of Great Britain ; the Right 
Honorable Earl Cowper, K.G. ; Lord Henry Lennox, 
M.P. ; Right Honorable Lord Acton; Right Honorable 
H. E. Childers, M.P. ; Sir Anthony Rothschild ; Sir Rich- 
ard Wallace, Bart., M.P. ; Sir Francis Grant, President of 
the Royal Academy ; Henry A. Brassey, M.P. ; Thomas 
Hawskley, President of the British Institute of Civil En- 
gineers, with P. Cunliffe Owen, Esq., the new head of the 
South Kensington Museum, as Secretary. There were in 
addition commissioners for India, for the Crown Colonies, 
and superintendents of the colonial sections, besides special 
committees, such as those for fine arts, horticulture, agri- 
culture, an executive staff, juries, translators, correspond- 
ents, and assistants. Then comes a list of the proprietors 
of objects of fine art lent for the Vienna Exhibition, be- 
ginning with her Majesty the Queen and the Prince of 
Wales, including oil and water-color paintings, architec- 
ture, sculpture and engravings, filling near four octavo 
pages of printed matter. Following this come the ac- 
knowledgments from the commission to a large number of 
firms which lent certain specimens of art and manufacture 
for use in the Vienna Exhibition. This catalogue covers 
over six closely-printed octavo pages. The articles in- 
cluded in the British section in Vienna in 1S73, anc ^ tne 
dictionary of objects exhibited, including those from all 
the British Colonies, fill one hundred and fifty pages of 
the same volume. Succeeding these are at least fifty pages 
of advertisements, with much more important information 
classified and arranged with characteristic nicety and tech- 
nicality of detail. 






OUR ADVANTAGES. 89 

You will recognize from this short statement exactly what 
the recognition of Great Britain means, and how complete 
and extreme her demonstration will be at Philadelphia in 
1S76. Although as I write the action of the Government 
is not yet announced here, all interests having impatiently 
awaited its decision for the past month, my table is literally 
piled with applications for information, for photographs of 
our buildings, and for various American publications. 

The advantage we shall have over every other exhibition, 
at least so far as England is concerned, is that transporta- 
tion will not only be cheaper and safer, but that English 
exhibitors and visitors will find themselves in a community 
in which their own language is spoken ; and unless I mis- 
take the character of my countrymen, they will be welcomed 
with a warmth and generosity which they have never before 
experienced. During the last four months my relations 
to the Centennial have thrown me into association with 
men of all parties and conditions, and it is simply just to 
say that I have always been received with kindness and 
courtesy, and have heard no word disparaging to the 
American Government or people. The subject of our 
Centennial is discussed in all its aspects ; our history pre- 
vious to the Revolution ; the history of the Revolution 
itself; the succeeding growth of our institutions, and the 
increase of our prosperity ; our public men dead and living, 
and all information that can be collected in regard to our 
condition, and prospects. No one feeling has been more 
auspicious than the almost universal desire and determina- 
tion to visit the United States in 1876. It now remains 
for the American people to continue and augment their 
exertions. The ponderous British locomotive has been 
hitched to the vast Continental train, and soon the mighty 
procession will move to its American destination. 

December, 1874. 

8* 



9 o PARIS IN NEW YEAR'S WEEK. 



XXII. 

Paris in New Year's Week. — Contrasted with London. — Centennial 
Enthusiasm. 

Once more in Paris. Beautiful and attractive as this city 
is, I confess that, without occupation, I should soon tire 
of it. It is so different from London that the contrast is 
constant and constantly new. Last Sunday, for instance, 
the second day of the new year, silent and sombre in the 
great English capital, was here a succession of fetes, of 
course more exciting than usual because of the holidays, 
but a fair copy of every French Sabbath for hundreds of 
years. The weather had been fearfully cold for ten days, 
but a sudden thaw called out the populace, who overflowed 
the streets, cafes, and theatres. Walking along the boule- 
vards in the evening, the crowds were as dense as they are 
in Philadelphia or New York during some novel procession 
or parade. The temporary booths for the display of holi- 
day goods of inconceivable varieties, inwardly facing the 
brilliant shops of the more wealthy and pretentious traders, 
made a sort of avenue through which happy thousands 
poured in ceaseless volume. Here was an orator describing 
some new toy to the delight of his extempore audience ; 
there a lovely woman chattering in rapid French from her 
wooden stall the merits of a household novelty; here an 
old crone, bronzed and wrinkled, adjusted her little pieces 
of statuary or bijouterie while she told, in the coarse tones 
of the lower classes of Paris, the praises and prices of her 
wares ; while high in the air floated the little balloons and 
danced the little figures for the children of all ages and 
both sexes. The places of amusement were early filled ; 
and from the circus to the opera, from the ballet to the 



PARIS CONTRASTED WITH LONDON. 



91 



vaudeville, from the bal masque to the more sober Theatre 
Francais, there was hardly room to stand in. Society held 
high revel in the palaces. In the cafes you could see men 
smoking and drinking; in the upper rooms gay dresses 
flashed through dazzling lights; all was a pageant, a vast 
Vanity Fair, made popular by ancient custom and sanc- 
tioned — I will not say sanctified — by the support of 
government and sojourner. 

I thought of austerer London, where you cannot get a 
meal out of your hotel for the best part of Sunday, where 
every restaurant is closed at midnight, and where such a 
thing as a place of amusement is as rare on Sunday as it is 
in Boston. The broad contrast between the two systems 
and peoples could not be more distinctly marked. Revo- 
lution in the one — repose in the other. Which is the 
happier it would be hard to decide. The gayety of the 
French and the sobriety of the English have often puzzled 
the philosopher. The renewing struggle almost every year 
for stable government in France is a fact not less curious 
than the increasing wealth and comfort of her population. 
Other nations have undoubtedly taken France, as idealized 
in Paris, at her own estimate. They accept this gay capital 
as the international centre of fashion and enjoyment. It is 
the magnet that attracts all the elements of pleasure and 
science from other countries. French habits are as fixed 
as the fixed stars. Centuries that have changed others have 
left them the same, and the strange fact is always apparent 
that foreigners soon fall into or tolerate them. That they 
enjoy them is proved by the presence of thousands from 
other countries. Many come here to stay. You are pointed 
to the splendid residences of the Russians, the English, the 
Spanish, the Americans, the Italians, the Turks, the He- 
brews, and, before the late war, the Germans were in large 
proportions. All these come here to be pleased, and not 
to reform the peculiarities of the people. 



9 2 



FRANCE AND THE CENTENNIAL. 



I find on my return here that the French are alive to the 
Centennial. They regard it as the event of the age, and 
they recall, with characteristic pride, the efficient aid of 
Louis XVI. to the American Colonies, and the romantic 
story of young Lafayette. The names of the French who 
fought under the handsome Count are still fondly cherished. 
Franklin's sojourn in Paris is spoken of as worthy of historic 
revival, and also that of Jefferson; the sale of Louisiana by 
Napoleon I. in 1804, under President Jefferson's adminis- 
tration, is again discussed in high quarters; and all this 
supplemented by the statistics of the growth of both nations 
and the valuable trade between them. Our minister, Mr. 
Washburne, takes a lively interest in the work, and is 
heartily aided by Consul-General Torbert. France accepted 
the President's invitation several months ago, and will, I 
am quite sure, take further steps to give efficiency to that 
act and emphasis to her unbroken devotion to the American 
Government and people. 

January, 1875. 



XXIII. 

Louis Blanc. — The National Assembly in Session. — Versailles and Wash- 
ington. 

Marshal McMahon is the Septennial President of a 
Septennial Republic, elected in 1873 by the National As- 
sembly for seven years. The question now before the 
French people is whether they shall elect a new Assembly, 
or whether it shall stand, like the Marshal, until 1880, and 
it is this question which now excites France throughout all 
its borders. There have been several changes of the Cab- 
inet since the choice of the Marshal-President, and a few 



VERSAILLES. 93 

days after my arrival in Paris another took place. I was 
anxious to hear the questions discussed. I was therefore 
most grateful to my friend, M. Louis Blanc, a member 
of the Assembly, for the two cards which admitted my 
daughter and myself to two good seats in the theatre at 
Versailles in which the sessions of the Assembly are now 
held. 

A few words about M. Louis Blanc. He is about the 
size of the lamented Stephen A. Douglas, is over sixty 
years old, with very black hair, a pleasant and compar- 
atively youthful countenance. He speaks English with an 
excellent pronunciation, and we in America should never 
forget him for his ardent support of the Union cause 
during the war. 

Versailles is about eleven miles west of Paris, and a 
beautiful ride it is. When we took our seats in the cars, the 
Deputies from Paris, each with a portfolio under his arm, 
were coming in. It was an exquisite day, after two weeks 
of severe cold. In our carriage were several Deputies, 
one of whom had the proofs of a report, or a speech, with 
the marks of the printer. Reaching Versailles, and follow- 
ing a procession of dignitaries under a beautiful alcove of 
trees, freshly cut and trimmed for the coming spring, and 
along a beautiful walk, we finally got to the National As- 
sembly, one of the dependencies of the Palace, called the 
Salle de Spectacle, in the Rue des Reservoirs. It is a 
theatre larger and better arranged than that in our Walnut 
Street, but with a poor entrance. We ascended to our seats 
in the third tier by long stone stairs, and I wondered how 
in case of fire the audience would be disgorged. When we 
got into our places and looked down upon the seven hun- 
dred and fifty members, after infinite pressure, I could not 
help recalling the magnificent accommodations of the Con- 
gressional halls in Washington. All the tiers and the boxes 
were filled with well-dressed people, except the diplomatic 



94 



THE NA TIONAL ASSEMBL V IN SESSION. 



gallery. A great debate was expected. There was a full at- 
tendance of members, and with our printed programme we 
could see by the number marked opposite each name the 
several celebrities. Ex-President Thiers was evidently not 
in his place, but we saw our kind host, Louis Blanc, with 
his black gloves, and our dear friend, Laboulaye, with his 
long, thin hair ; the dark-complexioned Jules Favre, Gen- 
eral Changarnier, and many, many more. 

The session opened by the ringing of a bell. There was 
no prayer. There were no soldiers, unless a few gendarmes 
here and there might be so called, and there was a pleas- 
ing decorum. At the slightest confusion subordinates 
enforced silence. The word sounded like hush, and in its 
effect was instantaneous. All the officers of the House on 
the floor wore steel chains around their neck and small 
swords at their sides, in which guise they distributed letters 
and documents. The President, M. Buffet, was exceed- 
ingly graceful and articulate. Every member spoke from 
a tribune very like the reporters' desk before the Speaker 
of our House or the President of our Senate, only higher 
and farther off; in fact, a sort of prolonged pulpit, allow- 
ing the orator to walk up and down. There was no vio- 
lent debate on the situation, and one gentleman who began 
with a clamor of objections toiled through an hour of tedi- 
ous iteration. As he labored on, I mused upon the legis- 
lators of this grand empire. How many bald heads, how 
many bowed backs, how many care-worn countenances ! 
In the whole body I think I did not see twenty full heads 
of hair. I knew there were princes and dukes and counts 
and magnates of high degree, but really in the long run 
they did not seem to be half so superior a class as the men 
I have seen in our Congress at Washington for the last 
chirty years. 

The creditable thing was the entire absence of foppery 
of dre^s and manner. Not one of them looked to the 



L YONS. 



95 



gallery, as is the bad habit of many in Washington. There 
were no pages on the floor, no loud displays of stationery 
and books, and not a lobbyist in the gallery. We retired 
before the debate was closed, and walked quietly down the 
long avenue of trees to the railroad station, our time not 
allowing us to linger among the thousand tragical and his- 
torical associations around us. We returned by the evening 
train to Paris, thanking M. Louis Blanc for a pleasant day 
at Versailles. It was a delightful ride home, made not less 
agreeable by the fact that we expected to see the French 
Assembly in a great uproar, and found it as decorous and 
quiet as an American Congress when it has no personal 
quarrels on hand. 
Paris, January, 1875. 



XXIV. 

Lyons.— French Railway Travel. — Underpaid Foreign Labor. 

A city older than the Csesars, which claims an origin 
five hundred years before Christ, abounding in archaeologi- 
cal relics, and in itself a history of religious and political 
revolutions for the last two thousand years, is a volume 
open to the student in which he may read the records of 
the ages in many a stormy chapter. Such is Lyons, a delta 
between the two lovely rivers, the Rhone and the Saone. 
Lyons is distant from Paris three hundred and seventeen 
miles. We left Paris at eleven a.m., and reached here at 
half-past ten p.m. We studied the appearance and man- 
ners of our fellow-passengers. 

A Frenchman talks as rapidly with his hands and shoul- 
ders as with his mouth, and it is sometimes difficult to tell 
which is the most expressive. There was a fine old Cath- 



96 FRENCH RAILWAY TRAVEL. 

olic priest, with a figure like Archbishop Wood and a face 
like Shelton Mackenzie, who alternately devoured the pages 
of the Revue de Monde and discussed politics with his 
neighbor. There was a tall blonde Parisian, who consumed 
columns of the morning papers, and was intensely delighted 
when I told him that the lady in my company would not 
mind if he smoked his cigarette, especially when I proved 
my selfishness by lighting my own cigar at his match. 
There was a young officer who incontinently went to 
sleep. 

After leaving Paris, were the white villages and white 
roads, the women in the gardens and fields, the tall, slim 
poplars, the utter absence of heavy timber, and the evident 
sterility of the soil, judged by prolonged chalky develop- 
ment, and yet everywhere economy and productiveness. 
Soon came the vineyards in their firstlings, every hillock 
covered. After a while we rushed past country villages that 
seemed to have been planted by the Romans. Arrived at 
Dijon, a sort of Altoona on the great line between Paris and 
Marseilles, we stopped half an hour for a four-franc dinner 
(about eighty cents of our money), clean, comfortable, 
good, and plentiful, a bottle of red wine for every two 
guests, excellent soup, fresh salmon with Mayonnaise sauce, 
beef a la mode, chicken and salad, delightful spinach dressed 
in butter, confitures of rice, and a mild cream cheese. 
There was no hurry and no confusion — in fact, the whole 
cuisine deserved translation to my own country as one of 
the many things we might profitably imitate. 

In this long ride from Paris to Lyons, we saw the con- 
ductor but once, when he came to inspect our tickets at 
Lyons. There is this to be said in favor of the foreign 
carriages— the passenger can always rest his head. In this 
long run I prefer the American railway system, with its 
cheaper fares and facilities for intercourse on the trains; 
but it is an inexpressible relief to rest the entire body. 



L YONS 



97 



under the plan of England, France, and Italy. Even our 
luxurious palace cars do not boast of this advantage. 

As we emerged from the Hotel de l'Europe next morning 
into the broad light of Southern France, Lyons was a 
wondrous revelation to our American eyes. We felt that 
we were approaching Italy, with its early luxuriance and 
cheering sunshine. The whole town was astir. The open 
squares; the French bonnes in their white caps, tending 
the little children; the fountains playing, the grass already 
green in the parks, and the distant hills, beautiful in their 
centuried buildings, hidden in a sort of Oriental mist, gave 
to the place a mysterious aspect. It was Paris over again, 
and yet not Paris. If you stand on the banks of the Rhone, 
the first thing that attracts you is the startling architecture 
on the hill where the workingmen live, which rises street 
above street, very much like the weird Pennsylvania town 
of Mauch Chunk ; and if you stand on the banks of the 
other river, the Saone, you are again startled by what is 
called Old Lyons, which seems to hang on the side of 
the other elevation, beautifully crested witli magnificent 
churches and public buildings. Between these two rivers 
and hills stretches the business part of the city, with its 
boulevards, public offices, theatres, churches, museum, 
Bourse-Exchange, palatial hotels, etc., a rich delta, indeed, 
full of romance, revolution, enterprise, and money. 

But to me the most interesting sight was the study of the 
great silk and velvet industry, famous all over the world, 
and so I sought the first opportunity to visit the renowned 
establishment of Carquittat, and personally to observe the 
process by which these exquisite and costly fineries are 
produced. The general plan closely resembles the carpet- 
weaving which I saw at Crossley's, in Halifax, England, in 
1867, and at Rochdale, last summer, with John Bright as 
my kind interpreter; but the manner of weaving the silks 
and velvets at Lyons is much slower and more tedious. 
e 9 



98 L YONS SILK MANUFACTURES. 

You have heard of the superb portraits and landscapes 
woven on silk by these Lyons artists; they almost rival the 
matchless tapestries at Windsor Castle. As we entered the 
show-room of the director, quite a collection of likenesses, 
so produced, looked down upon us from the walls; — Mar- 
shal-President McMahon, ex-President Thiers, Napoleon 
III. and the Empress Eugenie; Pedro, King of Portugal, 
in his youth ; Pope Pius IX. ; Jacquard, inventor of the silk- 
loom, born in Lyons in 1752; and over all a marvellous 
portrait of George Washington. And as if to prove the 
veneration with which the father of our new country is 
cherished in this beautiful metropolis, one of the oldest 
communities in the Old World, directly under his silken 
picture are the following words woven in English, taken 
from one of Washington's public papers; they are signifi- 
cant at a time when the spirit of sceptical unbelief seems to 
have acquired a new force among the European people: 

" Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, 
religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man 
claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great 
pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and 
citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect 
and cherish them. 

"George Washington." 

But the pleasure of the visit did not stop here. " I have 
got something else to show you, my American friend," said 
the manager; upon which he unrolled an almost-speaking 
likeness of Abraham Lincoln. I thought I could do nothing 
better than to purchase three silken portraits of the same 
size — one of Washington, one of Lincoln, and one of 
Jacquard, and to preserve them as another humble deposit 
in the National Museum at Independence Hall. 

The silk manufactures of Lyons were begun in 1450 by 
the Italian refugees who fled here from religious persecu- 
tions. They are claimed to be superior to the English 



UNDERPAID FOREIGN LABOR. 



99 



work, and are produced twenty-five per cent, cheaper ; but 
it is asserted that the hotfte-loom weavers, of which there 
are thirty-one thousand in Lyons, are much worse off than 
the weavers of Spitalfields, in the east of London. There 
are really no great factories here. The work is done in 
humble homes and by individual looms. The employer 
simply buys the raw material, and gives it out to be woven 
by the weavers in their own rooms. He has one artist to 
produce the patterns, and another to lay them out and 
prepare them for the weaver. These poor people live in a 
very humble way, and get very poor wages. I could not 
collect the data to prove this assertion, but watched one 
workman at his loom weaving a piece of superb velvet, and 
saw how slowly and carefully he proceeded, and when the 
price of the fabric was given I could easily see how little 
was left for him. 

Most of these people live in the suburb called the Croix 
Russe — the Faubourg St. Antoine of Lyons — in densely 
narrow streets, as many as twelve and twenty families being 
piled one above the other in the lofty houses. They are 
said to be always ready to break into revolution; and so, 
of the eighteen heavy forts within a circle of twelve miles 
around the town, the guns of several bear directly down 
upon the quarters occupied by the workers in silk and vel- 
vet. It must be said to the credit of both sides that there 
is an organization in Lyons, composed half of masters and 
half of workmen, called the "Concile des Prudhommes," 
which has done great good, and might be safely introduced 
into other countries. Its province is to settle all disputes 
between the employer and the employed on the subject of 
wages, and to promote a spirit of mutual conciliation and 
concession. 

LYONS, January, 1875. 



ioo LYONS TO MARSEILLES. 

i 
XXV. 

Lyons to Marseilles. — The Chateau d'If. 

From Lyons to Marseilles (two hundred and twenty 
miles) you traverse a region full of strange sights, his- 
tory, and tradition. The whole route was instinct with 
ancient recollections and modern progress. At Vienne, 
twenty miles from Lyons, there is a depository of Roman 
ruins — the temple of Augustus — which has been " restored" 
and utilized as a museum, and other interesting antiquities. 
The Roman emperor banished Pontius Pilate to Vienne. 
Three-quarters of an hour ahead, "Hermitage," the favor- 
ite wine of Napoleon I., and the best produced on the 
Rhone, is grown, and a few miles farther on the sparkling 
"St. Peray," claimed to be ''purer than champagne." 
Mont Blanc is visible on a clear day, seventy-five miles 
distant. Beautiful and bizarre is the venerable city of 
Avignon, one hundred and forty miles from Lyons. How 
strange to read that it had a population in 1664 of 80,000, 
while in 1864 it had but 40,000 ! Here, from 1305 to 1370, 
seven Roman pontiffs lived ; here Petrarch lived ; here 
Rienzi was confined after his fall at Rome ; and here the 
citizens shot by the revolutionists of 1789 were flung, some 
half slain and struggling, into its "Glaciers" and stifled 
with quick-lime. On the top of the palace there is a gilt 
statue of the Virgin. 

At last, through one of the longest tunnels in France 
(three miles long ; time of passage, six minutes), we 
emerge into a dazzling view of the Mediterranean and 
Marseilles. The outside view of Marseilles is Moorish 
and Italian ; some of the houses partake of the Sara- 
cenic style, but Italy is evidently struggling with France. 






MARSEILLES. io i 

Already, near the close of January, the vegetation in the 
gardens, the primroses in the windows, the violets every- 
where offered for sale and grown in the open air show, in- 
deed, that we are passing from "lands of snow to lands of 
sun." 

There is as much difference between Lyons and Mar- 
seilles as between Manchester and Liverpool. The one 
is the seat of manufactures, the other of commerce, and, 
although I saw little of either, yet I think the advantage is 
in favor of Marseilles. In its broad streets, that after- 
noon, the populace seemed to be out in holiday attire. 
The evening was exquisite, and the peculiar odor of the 
sea and the strange multitude about us told us that we were 
on the shores of the blue Mediterranean and in another of 
those ancient cities subjected to the Roman rule half a cen- 
tury before the Christian era. On the Prado the people 
were out for the evening promenade, while on the boule. 
vard by the sea we passed numbers of splendid equipages 
and light wagons carried along by fast horses. The sun 
was just descending, and we could see across the level 
waters numerous little boats, filled with gay pleasure-par- 
ties, and outgoing and incoming ships, which relieved the 
twilight hush : also the Chateau dTf, the scene of Dumas' 
"Monte Christo," the quarantine grounds, the prisons, 
while the dark mountain on which they are located grew 
darker and darker as the shades of night came on. 

Marseilles, January, 1875. 



9* 



CANNES. 



XXVI. 

Cannes. — Scenery and Climate. — Lord Brougham's Chateau and Tomb. 

The incomparable ride from Marseilles to Cannes de- 
serves a more elaborate description than I can now write. 
Directly after leaving the beautiful Mediterranean metrop- 
olis the orange-trees, olives, palms, and cactus-plants began 
to appear; then came Toulon, the Plymouth of France, 
with its vast fortified dock-yards, fronting the sea, and 
Fort Napoleon, otherwise called Petit Gibraltar, which the 
young subaltern Bonaparte in 1793 compelled the English, 
who had been admitted into the town by the French loy- 
alists, to evacuate, and so earned the first distinction which 
gave him final command of this great Empire, and made 
him the temporary master of Europe. Between Toulon 
and Hyeres the train passed through a country exquisitely 
cultivated. There were miles of olive vineyards, fig-trees, 
mulberries, and the luxuriant hills were clothed with pines. 
Here begins the splendid orange growth, and though we 
are in the month of January the golden fruit is already 
shining in the gardens and from the garden walls. All the 
intermediate stations were surrounded with the same char- 
acteristics, Roman remains, tropical flowers and fruits, and 
an equal and delightful climate. Cannes, however, seems 
to profit by the preference of foreigners. 

Cannes has become a favorite winter sea-side resort, and 
may be said to have been discovered by the late Lord 
Brougham. On his way to Italy, in 1S34, he was forced to 
stop here — a fatal epidemic preventing him from crossing 
the frontier, and he was so much pleased with the climate 
and the productions of the soil that he built a residence in 



LORD BROUGHAM'S CHATEAU. 



103 



Cannes, which he visited in every succeeding winter, and 
here he died on the 7th of May, 186S. A massive stone 
cross, bearing his name, the date of his birth, and the day 
of his death, marks the grave of a statesman who united 
the rare qualities of orator, statesman, lawyer, historian, 
biographer, and essayist. 

To an American a place like this, so lovely and so placid, 
is a novelty compared with the dash and heat of a water- 
ing-place at home. At night especially it is as silent as 
Goldsmith's " Deserted Village." There are few or no 
amusements, no drinking-houses, no balls or parties ; but 
there is that admirable police which you find everywhere 
in these French towns. In a week or two the whole neigh- 
borhood will be in bloom, and the sky is so clear, the air is 
so pure, that I should think an invalid must soon recover 
his health after a (c\v weeks' residence. Here, again, an- 
cient and modern history teach us their double lessons. 
Near by are the lies de Lerins, especially St. Marguerite, 
noted as once having been the prison of the Man in the 
Iron Mask, and lately of Marshal Bazaine; while a short 
distance from the town is the place where Napoleon Bona- 
parte landed from Elba in 1815. 

Lord Brougham's residence, called the Chateau Eleonore 
Louise, after this daughter, who died in 1839, is a villa in 
the Italian style, the main building of two high stories, 
with two wings, the material of the peculiar French white 
and buff, the armorial bearings of his house in the broad 
front, and the whole spacious and commanding, yet unpre- 
tending and plain. We were admitted by the concierge, 
who told us that the house was unoccupied and to let for 
six weeks, and that Lord Brougham left no sons, but several 
daughters, (!). The approach to the mansion was through 
a thick orange-grove, the fruit already half ripe, and the 
trees coming up to the broad, white steps leading to the 
main portico, whence you see the ocean, blue, calm, and 



io4 



LORD BROUGHAM'S TOMB. 



sparkling in the warm sunshine of a day like May in 
America ; the dark rocks projecting from the shore on the 
right, which half formed the bay of Napoule, rising in 
their respective ranges, each assuming a different shade in 
this delicious atmosphere, and the distant shore of the op- 
posite curve, with its white houses glittering in the bright 
afternoon, made altogether a scene wondrous fair. In the 
right wing is the dining-room, in which, doubtless, the 
venerable master had often entertained his guests. 

The sea, the air, the sky, the climate, and the scenery, 
existed long before Brougham came to enjoy them, but the 
influence of his name did much to attract attention to this 
place, and to make it the fashion among the multitudes 
always trying to escape the rigors of winter and to prolong 
their lives. Undoubtedly he did much to modernize, 
or rather to Anglicize, Cannes. There are four English 
churches (three Episcopalian and one Presbyterian) in this 
French town of ten thousand people. English newspapers 
are in all the hotels, and our hotel is occupied almost en- 
tirely by English and Americans. The shop-keepers are 
happiest when they can attract English and Americans by 
a clerk who can talk our language. The servants aspire 
to the same distinction, and there is an Anglo-American 
circus in the great square here on Sunday evening. 

In the cemetery, the tomb of Henry Brougham towers 
kinglike among his dead countrypeople. His monument 
is a plain gray marble slab — broad and massive — surmounted 
by a heavy cross above six feet in height, upon which are 
cut only his name and the dates of his birth and death, 
all in Latin. 

Cannes, January, 1875. * 



NICE. 



I°5 



XXVII. 

Nice.— Thronged with Citizens of the World. — Unforgetting Patriots. 

It can readily be believed how bitterly Garibaldi, who 
was born in Nice, must have bewailed its surrender to 
France under the treaty of Villafranca in i860, for a love- 
lier spot never came more fully finished from the hands of 
Nature, and never was more gracefully adorned by the 
genius of man. It has a settled population of sixty thousand, 
increased by annual visitors during the winter and early 
spring to eighty thousand; being situated on the Mediter- 
ranean, with a splendid background of hills, more than one 
hundred miles off, clearly visible on a cloudless day, it 
seems to lie in a crescent, unvisited by fogs and rarely by 
clouds, its valleys clothed with olive-, orange-, fig-, and 
lemon-trees, with here and there the palm and the pine. 
This is the 10th of February, but the flora is already exu- 
berant. 

Nice was an early and a principal Italian city, and bore 
alternate disaster and fortune. Its climate attracted the 
early Roman families, bu-t imperial favor could not save it 
from successive centuries of barbarian invasions. To-day 
Nice is, in fact, the living evidence of English energy, 
French genius, and Italian co-operation — the robust result 
of all these elements. From 1S15, when she was given 
to Austria, down to i860, when she was taken from Austria 
and given back to France, her best capabilities were com- 
paratively unutilized, but when Louis Napoleon got pos- 
session he introduced his wonderful modern inspiration 
into all her institutions, and attracted here that English 
element which, with its cultivated tastes and enormous 
wealth, is doing so much to bring into modern use and 

E* 



106 UNF0RGETT1NG PATRIOTS. 

pleasure the beautiful French and Italian cities of the Med- 
iterranean. 

Nowhere else is there to be found such a variety of phys- 
iognomies, and manners, and costumes. Foreign princes 
and potentates, now and then a king, or a queen; the ver- 
satile Frenchman, the olive Italian, the silent Turk, the 
blonde German, the picturesque Tyrolean, of course the 
American, but over all and beyond all, the Englishman. 
He runs from the London fog and damp early in Novem- 
ber, and entrenches himself at Cannes and Nice, at Men- 
tone and St. Reno, and among the old villas and palaces 
in and near Genoa, and Florence, and Naples, and Milan, 
and Turin, and Venice, and stays there until the season 
opens in London, — about May, — when he returns ready for 
the society of town and country, abundantly satisfied with 
his exertions during his Italian campaign. The English 
promenade in Nice is more than a mile in length. Its 
growth has been most considerable since 1862, after the 
annexation of Savoy to France. This boulevard is lined 
with a succession of beautiful villas and hotels, and from 
two o'clock in the afternoon to a little before sunset the 
drive is thronged with promenaders and carriages from 
every part of the world. It is very pleasant to meet in 
Nice many Americans who came here young and have 
grown old — some of them grandfathers and grandmothers, 
and yet never forgetting their country. As I have repeatedly 
said, there is no object more contemptible than a man or a 
woman ashamed of the place that gave him or her birth, 
and so it is something more than satisfying to meet the 
men and women who left the United States thirty and 
forty years ago — to marry in the Old World — and whose 
eyes glisten with pride as they say that they are coming to 
join us in celebrating the Centennial in Philadelphia in 
1876. 

Nice, February, 1875. 



GAMBLERS AT MONACO. 



107 



XXVIII. 

Gamblers at Monaco. — Genoa. — Relics of Columbus. — The Bank of St. 
George. 

Public gambling, driven from Germany by Emperor 
William, has found a home in Monaco, within forty min- 
utes' ride of Nice. This principality, one of the smallest 
in Europe, has been the property of the Grimaldi family 
since the year 968. Its Prince had permitted the profes- 
sional gamblers to settle, on payment of a heavy rent, at 
Monte Carlo, the beautiful suburb of Monaco, its little 
capital, which seemed to crown the crest of a volcanic hill, 
the path to which was a broad easy granite stair. We fol- 
lowed the talking crowd, and soon reached the top, to find 
ourselves in the midst of a scene unspeakably enchanting. 
It seemed rather a paradise for the worship of the beautiful 
than a rendezvous for the gamester. 

The burst of music attracts us to the Casino, and we fol- 
low the crowd into a large and highly ornamented build- 
ing, with a classic exterior, an imposing entrance, broad 
high hall, with, floors like glass, and an air of somewhat 
pretentious gentility. We enter, and find ourselves in a 
handsome and crowded concert-room, an orchestra of sixty 
performers playing the overture to "La Prophete." On 
presentation of a card, easily obtained at the bureau, on 
stating names and nation, we enter the gaming-house 
proper, consisting of two rooms, each almost as large as the 
foyer of the Academy of Music of Philadelphia. There 
are four tables, each about the size of a very large billiard- 
table, covered with green — two dedicated to roulette and 
two to cards. There is a crowd around them all, intense 



lo8 GENOA. 

and quiet. The men seem to prefer the game with cards, 
the women the hazard of the wheel. 

I am glad to say that, with a few exceptions, only old 
women played at Monte Carlo when I was there. The 
younger females were evidently rather disposed for display 
than for success, but there were several desperate game- 
sters. One old man and one old woman, each with rou- 
leaus of napoleons, risked them with a cool decision which 
proved them to be practiced hands. One young French- 
man literally poured his gold upon the table, and lost it, 
and a blue-eyed English boy got rid of his Bank-of-Eng- 
land notes with a rapidity that proved, I hope, either that 
he had come for a lesson and had got it, or that he had 
plenty of the same sort to throw away without injuring 
anybody but himself. 

From Nice to Genoa, a distance of one hundred and 
twenty-three miles, over ten hours by the railway, through 
many tunnels. Very naturally, the first thing an American 
looks for in Genoa is something about Christopher Colum- 
bus, claimed to be native here, but believed to have been 
born at the little village of Cogoleto, which we pass about 
half an hour distant on our way from Nice. I have just 
inspected several interesting memorials of the great dis- 
coverer, the first being his portrait in Mosaic in the Muni- 
cipal Palace. It faces an equally exquisite companion 
Mosaic portrait of Marco Polo, presented at the same time 
to Genoa in honor of the same event and by the same 
city. These splendid productions are about five feet square, 
and the delicate tracery of all the features, the colors of 
flesh and costume, the anatomy of the hands, and the easy 
pose of the figures, fairly rival the master-efforts of the 
great painters. It is, in fact, painting portraits with jewels, 
and these are specimens of modern Venetian genius. In 
another hall, the kind custodian was so good as to unlock 
a little brass door in a pedestal surmounted by a marble 



RELICS OF COLUMBUS. 



ioo 



bust of Columbus, from which he drew several manuscripts, 
one of them an autograph letter of Columbus to the Bank 
of St. George in relation to his deposits in that four-cen- 
turied institution. This letter was addressed to the pro- 
tectors of the bank shortly after the discovery of America. 
In it he states that though absent in body he is present in 
spirit ; that the Lord has conferred greater favor upon him 
than upon any one after David ; that the King and Queen 
[Ferdinand and Isabella, of Spain] wish to honor him 
more than ever, and that his undertakings are meeting with 
brilliant success; that he is about to embark for the Indies 
in the name of the Holy Trinity, with a view of returning 
immediately, but since he is mortal, he desires to make 
some disposition of his interest in the funds of the bank in 
favor of his son, D. Diego. Then follow his instructions 
to the directors — then a long list of his titles as admiral, 
viceroy, governor-general, captain-general, and then his 
simple signature, Christo-ferens (Christ-bearing). To this 
letter to the bank Columbus received no answer, and he 
addressed them another, to which the directors made a 
formal and most humble reply. Turning over the vellum 
pages of another sacred deposit, I found the commission 
of Ferdinand and Isabella to the great admiral, in ancient 
Spanish, and other curious contemporaneous documents 
written in imperishable characters with illuminated borders, 
one of them a Papal bull dividing the discovered regions 
of the earth, by an imaginary line across the ocean, between 
Spain and Portugal. How mysterious and yet how instruc- 
tive these lessons, when Spain dominated the Western 
world and began that career of glory which may be said to 
close with the island of Cuba ! 

A few years ago an American Frenchman, Admiral David 
Farragut, steamed with his squadron into this very harbor 
of Genoa — La Superba — and was entertained by this mu- 
nicipality in the magnificent council-chamber to which I 

10 



no THE BANK OF ST. GEORGE. 

have referred, between the two Mosaic pictures of Marco 
Polo and Christopher Columbus. Next day the Genoese 
authorities presented him with photographs of the original 
letters of Christopher Columbus, and I am not without 
hopes of being able to secure copies for the National Mu- 
seum in Independence Hall. 

Nothing in La Superba Genoa is a more valuable study 
than the old custom-house, or, as it is called, the Dogana. 
It is directly on the harbor, and the building was the old 
Bank of St. George, one of the most successful and singu- 
lar moneyed institutions in human history. I visited it 
because I had read Macaulay's description of it. When 
we entered the porters were busy receiving boxes of goods 
and bales of merchandise, and the clerks, the majority of 
whom were of the fairer sex, were busy in making the 
entries. The great marble staircase leading to the grand 
council-chamber of the old bank is now worn into deep 
channels by busy merchants. Solemn, dark, and dusty 
are the crumbling relics of the past. A number of grimy 
statues look down from their gloomy niches, intended to 
represent the citizens who left legacies to the Genoese 
Republic or to benevolent enterprise in shares of the 
bank, for which every such benefactor was rewarded with 
a memorial in marble. 

The powers wielded by this institution from 1345 to 
1797, when the example of the French revolution roused 
the people of the whole Continent against all special privi- 
leges, and led to its overthrow, read just now like some 
fairy-tale. To use the words of Mr. O. M. Spencer, Amer- 
ican consul here, " Foreign capitalists became its deposit- 
ors, sovereign princes its creditors, moribund millionaires 
remembered it munificently in their legacies, while fire, 
plague, and pestilence, by diminishing its liabilities, aug- 
mented its resources. It was not then simply a banking- 
house, exercising the ordinary functions of a bank of 



THE BANK OF ST. GEORGE. IIX 

deposit, exchange, and circulation. It coined money, 
constructed dock-yards, improved harbors, built bonded 
warehouses, monasteries, churches, public bake-shops, and 
ducal palaces. It erected fortifications and manned them ; 
it constructed galleys and equipped them ; it acquired pro- 
vinces and governed them. It was a savings bank, a sink- 
ing fund, a revenue office ; and as a prototype of the East 
India Company, a politico-commercial oligarchy that made 
warlike merchants and engaged in commerce like sultans." 
Mr. Spencer goes on to describe the increasing influence 
of this mighty corporation, its successful management of 
the public debt of Genoa, its reduction of the public bur- 
dens, the economy and integrity of its management, its 
absorption of the duties and excises in return for the loan 
of its credit, its gradual possession of the colonies of the 
Republic, its perfect tranquillity in war. But the French 
revolution closed it out forever. The Government resumed 
its sovereignty, the bank lost its credit with its preroga- 
tives, the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope had trans- 
ferred the commercial supremacy of Europe to England, 
and the commerce of Genoa became the shadow of its 
former greatness. 

GENOA, February, 1875. 



112 ITALIAN RAILWAYS. 



XXIX. 

Italian Railways. — American Artists in Florence. — Sculpture. 

Winter seems at last to have wrapped all Europe in its 
icy chains. After leaving the smiling and sunny fields of 
Southern France, and basking in the rich luxuriance of St. 
Remo, we met the cold blasts of Northern Italy, first at 
Genoa, where we took the train for Florence, two hundred 
and ninety miles distant, which we reach in a little more 
than thirteen hours. The skill and patience displayed in 
the construction of the three or four great Italian railways 
show that the Government and people, although immensely 
aided by French and English experience and money, are 
not unworthy descendants of the great men who built the 
splendid Roman roads centuries ago, the remains of which 
to-day excite our admiration and amazement. They seem 
to have been laid down as if to last forever ; and the sur- 
prising smoothness and ease with which the carriages are 
run, the absence of all noise or confusion or rudeness in 
the management, are not the least among the pleasures of 
the traveller. 

Modern art, after Rome, finds its best expression in Flor- 
ence; and he must be dull indeed who, contrasting the past 
with the present, remains unaffected by the superb originals 
of the old masters and the ambitious efforts of their living 
successors. Very naturally, an American promptly seeks 
information in regard to the artists of his own country, 
sensible, and sometimes sensitive, that the United States 
are far in the rear in comparison with other nations. 

It was very pleasant, in company with my friend, Mr. 
James L. Graham, American consul in Florence, to visit 






AMERICAN ARTISTS IN FLORENCE. 



n 3 



most of the American studios. I do not wish to indulge 
in a wearying description of what I saw, and much less 
in extravagant praise of the artists, all of them already- 
familiar by their works in their native country. Of one 
hundred and sixty painters, all are Italians with the ex- 
ception of three Americans, Messrs. J. L. Craig, Walter 
Gould, and Edwin White, and a few Germans and French- 
men. It is among the sculptors that the Americans take a 
leading part. The sculptors number about ninety. We 
have Thomas Ball of Boston, P. F. Connelly of Phila- 
delphia, Thomas R. Gould of Boston, J. T. Hart of 
Kentucky, J. Jackson of Connecticut, Larkin G. Mead 
of Vermont, H. R. Park, Preston Powers, son of the late 
Hiram Powers, and William G. Turner. A visit to their 
respective studios strikingly revealed their genius and their 
energy. 

In Mr. Ball's studio we saw the colossal model of his 
Edwin Forrest as Coriolanus, his statues of John A. Andrew 
of Massachusetts, Charles Sumner and Edward Everett, 
and the large group representing Lincoln Freeing the Slave, 
ordered and paid for by the colored people of the District 
of Columbia, and to be placed by them at or near the 
nation's capital. The studio of Mr. P. F. Connelly con- 
tained many exquisite pieces, and especially the models 
and finished busts of some of the English nobility, also the 
preliminaries of a magnificent fountain, which is to include 
specimens of the genius of several of the leading Italian 
artists, and is intended to be the crowning effort of his life. 
Mr. Connelly is the nephew of the late Mr. Harry Con- 
nelly, of Philadelphia. This promising artist is but thirty- 
three, and has not seen his native country for many years, 
yet has a most vivid recollection of his friends in Phila- 
delphia. Mr. Hart's studio was interesting as a collection 
of the old statesmen of America — Mr. Clay, Mr. Critten- 
den, Mr. Wickliffe, and others. In Mr. Jackson's studio 

10* 



H4 SCULPTURE. 

we found several familiar faces, and an exquisite Eve, the 
original of which is now in possession of William G. Moor- 
head, Esq., West Philadelphia. Mr. Larkin G. Mead has 
a very large establishment, and was the successful competi- 
tor for the great Lincoln monument, with its numerous 
groups and devices, formally dedicated a few months ago at 
Springfield, 111., and for which, it is said, he received two 
hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Apart from the other 
subjects in these rooms, all of them exhibiting culture and 
originality, was a fine head of Justin S. Morrill, United 
States Senator from Vermont. The Powers' studio was 
singularly interesting, and the immense variety of models 
and copies of memorable statues and groups revived the 
love and veneration of our people for the famous founder, 
the late Hiram Powers. Here was the model of the origi- 
nal Greek Slave ; also, a statue of Webster, full of expres- 
sion and dignity, now in Boston; also, Edward Everett, 
General Jackson, copies of many well-known works now 
in America, and a successful bust of Sumner, modelled in 
the Capitol in Washington a few weeks after the death of 
the beloved tribune by Mr. Preston Powers, the successor 
of his father. 

I do not pretend to convey more than an idea of the 
patient industry and honorable ambition of these our artists 
in Florence, nor to enumerate the manner in which they 
have perpetuated many famous characters in our history. 
Here were Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, John 
Quincy Adams, Webster, Whittier, Ethan Allen, Agassiz, 
Lincoln, Longfellow, Sumner, Bellows, Everett, Marshall, 
Clay, and H. W. Beecher. In the sphere of romance and 
tradition were many evidences of close study and brilliant 
imagination. Living as most of these men have lived for 
many years in Florence, some of them having grown gray 
here, they have gathered experience and learning, culti- 
vated their tastes, and passed to the front rank in their pro- 



AMONG AMERICAN ARTISTS IN ROME. 



IJ 5 



fession, never ceasing to be passionately attached to their 
country. 

There are many things in Florence to arouse our better 
nature. The eloquence of marble is something very strange. 
You go into one of the studios and stand before a face like 
that of Sumner, or of Garibaldi, or a figure of the Greek 
Slave, or Adonis, or Venus, and turn the sculpture on its 
pedestal, and it seems to talk to you in what I would call 
the grave silence of its features. It is not so with bronze. 
But the spotless marble of Carrara, produced within a few 
hours' distance, has a language of its own when translated 
into statuary. Every different position, as you move these 
figures, has a new expression, sometimes a smile and some- 
times a frown, and, as you feel these emotions, you begin 
to understand why the world is so enthralled by Art. 
There are some pictures that follow you with their living 
eyes till you leave the room to avoid them, and if you look 
long into those of Vandyke and Raphael, painted by them- 
selves, you almost think they are about to add a spoken 
welcome. 

Florence, March, 1875. 



XXX. 

Among American Artists in Rome. 

In company with the Rev. Dr. Robert J. Nevin, this 
morning I visited most of the American studios in Rome, 
and my only regret is that I have not the time to relate all 
the incidents of the occasion. There were enough to fill a 
small library; every studio was a book in itself, and every 
statue or picture a biography or a romance. Mr. Wm. W. 
Story, who, since the death of the lamented Powers, may 



Il6 AMONG AMERICAN ARTISTS IN ROME. 

be called the dean of his guild, allowed us the full range 
of his magnificent collection, the ripe fruits of years of 
high culture and congenial toil. Mr. Story is the son of 
the late illustrious Joseph Story, of Massachusetts, one of 
the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, 
and outside his high position as a sculptor is also a pro- 
found lawyer and a successful poet. It is difficult to say 
whether his fame rests most upon the offspring of his chisel 
or the products of his pen. It was natural, therefore (as 
I looked into the face of the statue of his father standing 
near those of Shakspeare and Peabody, and in close prox- 
imity to the venerable Josiah Quincy and Edward Everett, 
of Boston, and from these turned to his superb Cleopatra, 
a more than full-length reclining figure, with her Egyptian 
visage, voluptuous form, and marvellously Oriental orna- 
ments and robes, and then followed the line of glittering 
marble, including Beethoven, Saul, Sappho, Salome, Judith, 
and many more idealisms of Scripture and mythology, end- 
ing with a fine realistic statuette of himself, by an Italian 
brother, leaning against a column upon which were en- 
graved a partial list of his sculptures), that from this study 
I remembered the catalogue of his printed poetry. I could 
not help saying that the gifted son was worthy of the great 
father. 

In Mr. St. Gandeus' studio there is a colossal ''Hia- 
watha," of much merit, and another of "Silence," of 
equal proportions, intended, I am told, for the new Ma 
sonic Hall of Philadelphia. Mr. St. Gandeus was absent 
in America, but his janitor informed me that he contem- 
plated an appropriate contribution to our Exposition. Mr. 
Franklin Simmons, of Maine, showed us the model of his 
great " Naval Group," ordered by Admiral Porter, accord- 
ing to an act of Congress, and to be placed, I hope, not at 
Annapolis, but in one of the fine spaces in the city of 
Washington. The whole composition is to be forty-five 



AMONG AMERICAN ARTISTS IN ROME. 



117 



feet high, including two female figures representing "Grief" 
and "History," eight and a half feet high, while the base 
is covered with ideals of exquisite grace and significance. 
Here also was a fine model of William King, the first Gov- 
ernor of Maine, larger than life, and the cast of the cele- 
brated Roger Williams for the art gallery in the old hall 
of the House of Representatives in our National Capitol. 

It was a rare pleasure to ascend to the saloons of Mr. 
Tilton, the favorite American painter, overlooking the gar- 
dens of the Capucin Convent, and to enjoy some of his 
latest Egyptian and Roman subjects. He had just returned 
from the Nile, and was full of his theme. One of them 
just completed for that generous patron of art, Marshall 
O. Roberts, of New York, was especially beautiful. We 
then called in succession upon Mr. Yedder, born in New 
York, whose specialty is a marvellous combination of sym- 
pathy with the atmosphere, and water, and trees, added to 
a weird imagination ; upon Mr. Montalant, well known in 
Philadelphia, the artist who completed the noble picture 
of the Palatine owned by Mr. J. Gillingham Fell ; upon 
Mr. Haseltine, landscape painter, in his gorgeous saloons 
in the Palazzo Alteria ; upon Mr. Geo. H. Yerrell, of 
Maryland ; upon Miss Lewis, the young colored sculptress, 
who had just sold one of her pieces for eight hundred dol- 
lars; upon Mr. Albert Harnisch, of Philadelphia, sculptor, 
ambitious and successful, and finally upon Miss Harriet 
Hosmer, in her bower of a studio, and had a good word 
from each and all. I cannot designate the many beautiful 
things in these several collections, and therefore avoid in- 
vidious distinctions, as I save time and space. I leave 
Randolph Rogers until the last, because he is so essentially 
a Philadelphian and an American, and has done so much 
by his works for our State and the nation that it would be 
idle to speak of his deep interest in the Centennial. His 
studio is the resort of our countrymen, and you feel singu- 



nS AMERICAN 7 CHURCH IN ROME. 

larly at home in the midst of his works. It was pleasant 
to see the models of the bronze doors which he had made 
for the Capitol at Washington, and through which I had 
passed so many, many times while I was Clerk of the 
House and Secretary of the Senate. 

Rome, March, 1875. 



XXXI. 

American Church in Rome. 

Passing from art to religion, I have to mention a work 
rising in all its fine proportions directly in the vicinity of 
the Hotel Quirinal, where I am stopping. I refer to the 
American church begun not long ago, — after Victor Eman- 
uel had become the monarch of United Italy, — chiefly 
through the exertions of the Rev. Dr. Nevin, for several 
years rector of Grace Church, in Rome, when that church 
(the Protestant population being refused any house of wor- 
ship within the Roman walls) was an old granary outside 
the gates, approached through filthy streets and in the 
direct vicinity of the hog-market. First, a word about 
Dr. Nevin, the son of the distinguished clergyman, Rev. 
Dr. John W. Nevin, head of Franklin and Marshall Col- 
lege, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the brother of Mr. 
William Wilberforce Nevin, of the Philadelphia Press. 
He was born in Lancaster County, like his brother, and 
like him fought all through the war as an artillery officer, 
on the Union side. I found him, on my arrival here, 
busily at work in the double relation of pastor of a ver\ 
large congregation and superintendent of the splendid 
church now going up in the handsomest portion of modern 
Rome. Crowded though he be by these heavy duties, I 
soon realized that he had time enough to spare for the 



AMERICAN CIJURCI1 IN ROME. 



119 



Centennial. Accepting that memorial event as alike a 
patriotic and a moral manifestation, he helps it forward 
also as a native Pennsylvanian. And in his constant inter- 
course with society in Rome, where he is a deserved favor- 
ite, and among the most prominent of the Papal Monsig 
nori, by whom he is sincerely respected, however dreaded 
for his Protestant perseverance, he never fails to present 
the truly cosmopolitan design of the International Exposi- 
tion as worthy of the support of every party and of every 
sect. 

When the Americans in Rome found that the Imperial 
City was to be thrown open for free worship, one of their 
number called upon Prince Humbert, the heir-apparent, 
and informed him that if their purpose of erecting an ap- 
propriate edifice in which to worship within the walls would 
in any way interfere with the mission of Victor Emanuel by 
arousing still more the angry enmity of the Vatican, it 
would be postponed to a more opportune period. The 
reply was that they should go on with their project ; that, 
although, like his father, he was a good Catholic, yet the 
day of religious intolerance had gone by, and that, in the 
new order of things, nothing was more essential to Italy 
than that this truth should be practically enforced; and he 
hoped it would finally be realized and obeyed by the Vati- 
can. "Your American Protestant church," he said, 
"steadily going up under the eyes of the Vatican and 
under the auspices of the Government, will be at once 
the sign that you are in earnest and the pledge that we 
mean to support you." 

Now for the dimensions of the American church in the 
new Roman quarter, which Mr. T. Adolphus Trollope, the 
leading English correspondent at the Italian capital, has 
called " the most beautiful ecclesiastical building in the 
city, and, even including the great Basilicas, altogether 
the best in ecclesiastical feeline: and architectural taste." 



120 AMERICAN CHURCH IN ROME. 

The exact dimensions are: Length, one hundred and 
thirty-six feet ; width, sixty-four feet ; height, sixty-six 
feet ; tower, twenty feet square, one hundred and thirty- 
six feet high (gift from clere-story up of Miss Catharine 
Wolfe, of New York, with a full chime of bells, from 
Belgian foundries, presented by Henry Messenger, Esq., 
of Brooklyn). The style, Italian Gothic; the architect, 
G. E. Street, R.A. Material, — outside, travertine from 
near Tivoli, brick from Farina; inside, ashy stone, richer 
in color and of a larger grain than the Paris stone ; side- 
aisle roof of vaulted brick and stone ; nave roof, timber, 
— chestnut and fir ; pillars that support clere-story, of gran- 
ite, surrounded by columns of bluish Carrara marble; bases 
of red marble from Perrugia ; cellars sixteen feet deep to 
prevent dampness ; double floors for same reason. 

As I walked around the building in company with Dr. 
Nevin, and heard his interesting narrative of the efforts 
made in America to raise the money to finish it, I appre- 
ciated the justice of Mr. Trollope's praise. When com- 
pleted, this church will indeed be very beautiful. Placed 
as it is, fronting a new avenue so different from the narrow 
streets of the old city, and on a corner, with its main front 
facing another wide street, it will always be a most impres- 
sive monument. Its general characteristics are reality and 
solidity; no imitative work is admitted, and this.is much in 
modern Rome, where there are many shams, I regret to 
say, both spiritual and material. As I recollected that 
Rome, under the improved system of travel and steadily- 
increasing railroads, is certain to become more and more 
a great school of art for the Americans, and art not as the 
mere agent of a single denomination, but the teacher of 
people of every belief, and that it will be no longer simply 
accessible to the rich and luxurious, but also to the poor 
and ambitious, I could not doubt that my countrymen 
would make the completion of Dr. Nevin's church a matter 



AMERICAN CHURCH IN ROME. I2 i 

of earnest determination. The English are amazed at his 
progress; they have a national church, the Americans have 
none. Their rich men of the Established Church, their 
prelates and their nobility, are always in Rome in great 
numbers. London is only three days distant, with its 
countless millions of money, and yet, far-off America, by 
voluntary contributions collected by this young soldier- 
priest, who has given to his mission the same energy and 
self-sacrifice which carried him to the war for liberty, has 
nearly finished this magnificent Protestant temple.* Per- 
haps it is because our people have entered more deeply 
into the true significance of this practical expression of free 
worship and genuine toleration. But Dr. Nevin must not 
be allowed to pause for the want of funds to close out what 
he has so splendidly begun. He needs thirteen thousand 
dollars in gold at once, and if he gets it his church will 
be open on next Christmas. He has raised the most of the 
money, over seventy thousand dollars, by persistent effort, 
and his friends at home, indeed all liberal men, should give 
him the benefit of prompt generosity. He is no more 
interested than thousands of others, and no money can 
ever control his unselfish labors. He received a subscrip- 
tion a few days ago of two thousand dollars from a Boston 
gentleman, who had heard his sermons and watched his 
able and unwearied exertions to complete his beautiful 
church. Will not the people of the United States take the 
matter in hand, and send forth the requisite amount at the 
earliest moment? I could name a dozen men who could 
supply the deficit in as many minutes, if they would only 
look into the issues involved in Dr. Nevin's movement. 
Rome, March, 1875. 

* It was opened for divine worship in March, 1876. 



THE THREE POWERS IN ROME. 



XXXII. 

The Three Powers in Rome. — Garibaldi at Home. 

There are many conspicuous characters now in Rome — 
princes of the blood from all the nations, great scholars 
and antiquarians, a perfect college of artists of every de- 
gree, and eminent strangers from the Occident to the 
Orient — but the three men most sought and most discussed 
are Guisseppe Garibaldi, Victor Emanuel II., and Pope 
Pius IX. The great age of the latter seriously complicates 
the political position, while the vigor of the King and the 
solid popularity of Garibaldi increase the solicitude of the 
adherents of the Vatican and the Quirinal, the first repre- 
senting the Papal authority and the second Imperial power. 
Between these two influences Garibaldi in his individual 
isolation is a curious study. No such personage has ever be- 
fore figured in Italian history. If you look over the long 
line of Pagan and Christian rulers, whether Popes or 
Princes, you seek in vain for a type so peculiar as the sailor, 
the mechanic, the soldier, and the philosopher of Caprera. 
His life has been the romance of fact and the fact of ro- 
mance. Precisely as he won a great empire in i860 only 
to refuse supreme civil command, so he comes as a mem- 
ber of Parliament to take his stand by the side of Vi< tor 
Emanuel as the best embodiment of United Italy. He now 
devotes his time to a great scheme of internal improve- 
ment, by which the capital of his beloved country may, if 
possible, be restored to its ancient commercial supremacy. 
Reflecting upon this wonderful record, and upon the fact 
that I had personally met General Garibaldi nearly thirty 
years ago at the Astor House, New York, when he was an 



GARIBALDI AT HOME. 



123 



humble candle-maker at Staten Island, I resolved to seek 
an interview with him. Garibaldi lives at the Villa Casa- 
linni, outside the Porta Pia, a twenty minutes' drive from 
Rome. Our party consisted of Mr. M. D. Eyre, the 
banker; Mrs. Eyre, and their interesting little boy, Ar- 
thur ; Mr. Carter, Mr. Sherrod, Mr. Forney and Mrs. 
Weigley of Philadelphia; Randolph Rogers, the artist; 
Mr. Washburne, of New York, and two English gentle- 
men, Mr. Wm. Porter and Mr. F. D. Finley, correspondent 
of the Belfast Northern Whig. 

When we reached the closed gate of the villa and rang 
the bell, the old servant shook his head and said that the 
General was too ill to see company, but Mr. Eyre, a native 
Philadelphian, who has lived in Italy for the last seventeen 
years, gathered our cards (among which was a large pho- 
tograph, with an engraving of the Centennial Art Gallery, 
which I had brought with me to present to Garibaldi), and 
told him that the General's son, Minotti, had assured us 
that we could see his father that day, upon which the old 
man carried in our names, and soon returned with a smiling 
welcome. We passed the Italian garden and ascended the 
usual Italian stone stairs, and without the slightest cere- 
mony were ushered into a long, unfurnished, half-frescoed 
room on the second floor. 

There was a common mahogany table in the middle of 
the room, a cabinet with writing materials, a few chairs, 
no pictures on the walls, and, sitting in a large arm-chair, 
Garibaldi himself, in gray clothes, with the inevitable red 
shirt, which has been the uniform of hundreds of thou- 
sands of his followers, and is still the badge of the Liberals 
of Italy. We were duly presented by Mr. Eyre, and when 
it came to my turn he said, " I am proud to call myself a 
citizen of the United States." I answered, "I thank you, 
General, for this compliment to my country, but you are 
also the republican citizen of the world." His hands and 



124 



GARIBALDI A T HOME. 



feet are gnarled and knotted like the great live oak or ilex 
tree, which he has survived so many years, but his eye 
shone like a star, and he had an unwrinkled face. He is 
strikingly likchis photographs. 

I conversed freely with him for some minutes, and as we 
turned to leave I saw Minotti Garibaldi carefully examining 
the engraving of the Centennial Art Callery. He is a 
very interesting man, with all the amiability of his father, 
and he turned to me and said, "I remember this picture 
well from the description in our Roman newspaper." 
Then, after we had said good-by to the quiet General, 
who talked to us in the most gracious English, Minotti 
descended the same stone stairs, at the foot of which a 
little pamphlet was placed in the hands of each of us ex- 
plaining General Garibaldi's great scheme to make Rome 
a port of entry. It is handsomely printed in Italian, and 
has been circulated very widely. 

The General proposes so to direct the course of the 
Tiber as it flows toward the sea as not only to promote the 
commercial prosperity of Rome, but to prevent the annual 
inundations which have inflicted so much misery upon the 
people of the capital. The drainage of the Campagna 
(the great outlying desert district adjoining Rome in sub- 
lime and heretofore insoluble sterility and periodical con- 
tagion) can then be carried on by improving the current 
of the Tiber. This is his general view, and he demands 
for it the consideration of the scientific men of the civil- 
ized world. It has already excited much discussion among 
the French and English engineers, and I have had sent to 
me a large number of documents on the subject. The 
vitality of Garibaldi in his old age is not less remarkable 
than his republicanism, and it is strange how his example 
is felt all over conservative France and England, and how 
this single proposition attracts and fascinates the capitalists 
of the world. In his quiet and unfurnished chamber he 



LAFAYETTE'S GRANDSON. 



125 



preserves that undaunted devotion to the people, that 
untempted love for his race, which make him the living 
contrast to all precedents. 

Rome, March, 1875. 



XXXIII. 



Lafayette's Grandson. — His American and Family Surroundings. — En- 
thusiasm for the Centennial. 

Oscar de Lafayette, grandson of the illustrious Mar- 
quis de Lafayette, and Deputy from the Seine-et-Marne 
in the National Assembly, is the president of the National 
Committee to secure an appropriation for the Centennial. 
He lives in plain apartments, No. 70 Rue de Bac, Paris, and 
yesterday Mr. Gratiot Washburne, of the American lega- 
tion, Mr. Clement M. Biddle, member of the Centennial 
Finance Committee, Mr. A. Canbert, a Paris lawyer of 
eminence, and myself, paid him a visit and received a 
genial welcome. The room in which he received us was 
adorned with engravings of his ancestral and living rela- 
tives. A fine likeness of Washington, after Stuart, hung 
on the left of the mantel, with the standing figure of 
Lafayette, so well known in America, on the right, near 
an excellent print of the heroic Madame Lafayette, hardly 
less celebrated than her illustrious husband. There were 
others, among them George Washington Lafayette, the 
father of our host, in his beautiful uniform as captain of 
the French cavalry. M. Oscar de Lafayette is about sixty- 
five. He speaks English rapidly and reasonably well, and 
desires a proper representation of France at the Centen- 
nial. I had sent him a copy of the last pamphlet of the 
Philadelphia Commission, with engravings of the five great 

11* 



I2 6 ENTHUSIASM FOR THE CENTENNIAL. 

buildings and the details of their progress, and he was 
much gratified. Mr. Biddle said that his presence in 
America next year would be hailed by a grateful people 
with universal enthusiasm. "It is impossible; it is im- 
possible !" was his reply. " I am too old for the journey; 
but I could not love America more than I do. These are 
my idols," as he turned to the historic pictures in his 
room. He made many suggestions, and is evidently deeply 
in earnest. M. Lafayette is a profound republican, — that 
I was glad to know, — and by no means anxious to be con- 
sidered of consequence as one of a noble family. He was, 
however, proud of his relationship to the great Frenchman 
who was the first in France, in Europe, to come forward to 
help the infant Colonies in the darkest hour of the Ameri- 
can Revolution. That it is which makes him eager that 
France shall have a prominent place in the Centennial. 
He has a distinct recollection of his grandfather, the 
great Marquis, who died forty-one years ago, and con- 
verses with French fervor of the wonderful growth of the 
"United States. I felt quite near to the Past when I saw 
this active representative of the man who came at the right 
moment to save our infant Colonies, and I could well an- 
ticipate his welcome in Philadelphia should he be induced 
to visit us next year. 

Intelligence from all the French departments indicates 
increasing desire to visit Philadelphia in 1S76. We are 
the second best customer of this great nation, a point well 
made by Consul-General Torbert at the Hoffman dinner in 
Paris last January. The silk men of Lyons, the wine- 
growers of Bordeaux, the sardine-packers of Marseilles, the 
iron, steel, glass, cotton, wood, and wool manufacturers, 
the jewellers and weavers, the paper- and book-makers, and 
the indescribable variety of inventors and producer; of all 
sorts of material for show and substance, in this vast hive 
of industry and genius, are impatient to move. There is 



ENTHUSIASM FOR THE CENTENNIAL. 



127 



no political feeling in regard to the Centennial in France, 
although there is much about almost everything else. It is 
true the Republicans in the Assembly have taken the in- 
itiative, but there is an outspoken sentiment in the other 
parties. The Orleans Princes, the Count cle Paris and the 
Duke de Chartres, are as deeply interested as the Empress 
Eugenie and the Prince Imperial at Chiselhurst, and the 
several members of Marshal MacMahon's Cabinet respect 
the popular feeling as daily reflected in the public journals 
of all opinions. 

Much of this widespread solicitude is to be traced to the 
quiet and sympathetic suggestions of our minister, Mr. 
Washburne, who moves in all circles, official and unofficial, 
including those who produce and those who consume. 
The repeated admonitions of Mr. Secretary Fish to our 
ministers and consuls in foreign States, not to be "offi- 
cious" in regard to the Centennial, have been carefully 
obeyed; but now that the Governments of all the civilized 
nations have, with one or two possible exceptions, taken 
up the invitation from America, and acted upon the ample 
explanations of the Centennial Commissioners, our repre- 
sentatives abroad would be cold indeed, if not culpable, if 
they did not respond to an enthusiasm so natural and 
wholesome. 

France has a peculiar reason for taking a forward place 
at Philadelphia next year. With her enormous and diver- 
sified capabilities, she has not sought purchasers like Eng- 
land and Germany. She has not been a successful colo- 
nizer, nor have her people been eager and steady emigrants. 
She has contrived and invented, an 1 waited for her cus- 
tomers to come to her. Her fabrics of inconceivable splen- 
dor and novelty; her gold, silver, brass, iron, steel, stone, 
wood, silk, wool, cotton, hemp, paper; her art; her litera- 
ture ; her science ; her agriculture have been subjected to 
what we call middlemen, so that the original article is 



128 CAPTAIN PAUL BOYTON. 

handed down with extra charges or commissions before it 
reaches the buyer, whom she ought to have captured by 
going directly to him. The Centennial offers her an op- 
portunity to change this localism by opening a market 
where she can meet her competitors face to face, and, 
while helping herself to new customers, help to cheapen a 
thousand articles of use and ornament to the benefit of 
mankind. 
Paris, April, 1875. 



XXXIV. 



Captain Paul Boyton. — Swims across the English Channel. — Queen Vic- 
toria's Telegraph. 

We are at Boulogne-on-the-Sea, where, 55 years B.C., 
Julius Caesar embarked for the invasion of Britain, a feat 
Napoleon I. threatened, but did not execute, some seventy- 
one years ago. We came hither to receive a now very 
noted American, Captain Paul Boyton, of the Life-saving 
Service at Atlantic City, who, backed with the personal 
good wishes of Queen Victoria, who had witnessed many 
of his bold and skilful performances in the harbor of 
Cowes, now proposed to swim across the English Channel, 
and arrived at Dover, accompanied by several newspaper 
reporters, and made his final preparations to drop into the 
ocean at three o'clock on Saturday morning, April 10, 1875. 

Having resolved to witness the issue of this bold venture, 
we left Paris that morning for Boulogne, which we reached 
at half-past two o'clock p.m., and found unusually alive. 
The people crowded along the piers and on the hills, and 
small boats were skimming the tranquil waters. The 
French, American, and English flags were flying from the 
public places, and there was a general air of expectancy. 



BOYTON CROSSES THE ENGLISH CHANNEL. 



129 



The project of the gallant Captain was regarded as in the 
last degree dangerous, and the Englishmen, always prone 
to make wagers on any trial of skill, were actively betting 
among themselves. 

About six o'clock in the afternoon a steamer from Dover 
came in with the news that it had passed the Captain about 
twelve miles off, and that he was doing bravely. As the 
evening advanced the people left the hills and crowded 
into the streets, and about half-past seven Boyton's well- 
known rockets were seen at a distance of several miles, 
signalling his approach. A little after eight he landed at 
the pier, amidst an immense crowd of people, who greeted 
him with prolonged cheering. He was immediately con- 
veyed to the quarters of the Boulogne Humane Society, 
where, after removing his life-preserver, he retired to rest, 
and was quietly resting when his brother introduced my 
friends and myself. He received our sincere welcome with 
much emotion. This was about nine o'clock in the even- 
ing. 

At six o'clock the next morning (Sunday) he rose much 
refreshed and proceeded to the Hotel Christol, where, at 
eleven o'clock, I met him, surrounded by the reporters of 
the London and Paris press, looking as strong and bright 
as if he had just come from a bath. " Well, you see, my 
good friend," was his first greeting, "if you have kept 
your promise, made to me last December in London, to 
meet me on the French coast after I had crossed the Brit- 
ish Channel, I have kept mine by carrying the Centennial 
flag during the fifteen hours I have buffeted the stormy 
waves and contended with fifty miles of the cross-currents 
between here and Dover; and there the flag hangs from 
the window." Outside the hotel had gathered, Sunday 
morning though it was, a great throng of people, eager to 
catch a glimpse of the young swimmer, while over their 
heads floated the Centennial banner. " This flag," con- 

F* 



130 QUEEN VICTORIA'S TELEGRAPH. 

linued the Captain, " is yours to hand over to the Centen- 
nial Commission, as a pledge of my devotion to my coun- 
try, and my earnest wishes for the success of the great 
Exposition in my cherished home, the city of Philadel- 
phia." [I hope to forward this precious memento by one 
of our American steamers that will leave Liverpool on the 
28th of April or 10th of May.] In consideration of the 
gracious favor extended to Captain Boyton by Queen Vic- 
toria, and in fulfilment of a promise he had made to her, 
immediately after his arrival at Boulogne he sent forward 
the following telegram : 

To Genera/ Ponsonby, Osborne ; for her Majesty the Queen : 

According to her Majesty's gracious desire, I have the honor to announce 
to your Majesty the success of my attempt to cross the Channel, over fifty 
miles in fifteen hours. The kind interest of her Majesty nerved me in my 
long and arduous struggle in the cause of science and humanity. God 
save the Queen ! 

While I was speaking to him in the Hotel Christol, he 
opened and read to me the following answer : 

From the Queen. 
Osborne, April 11 — 10.17 a.m. — 1875. 
To Captain Boyton, Boulogne. 

The Queen has received the news of your safe arrival at Boulogne with 
much pleasure, and commands me to congratulate you on the success of 
your expedition. 

General Ponsonby, Osborne. 

This was immediately succeeded by one from the Lord 
Mayor of London, viz. : 

Captain Paul Boyton, Boulogne : 

I congratulate you upon the success you have achieved so gallantly in 
the interest of humanity. 

A splendid public demonstration from the authorities of 
Boulogne greeted Captain Boyton, next day. 

Boulogne, April, 1875. 



CHANTILLY RACES. 



XXXV. 

Cliantilly Races. — The Courses and Stands. — Colonel Bridgland on Aniei i • 
can-French Stock. 

The old adage, profane as it is extravagant, that this 
great metropolis is " Heaven for men, Paradise for women, 
and Hell for horses," is certainly untrue as to the horses, 
if we may judge by the care with which they are reared 
and the prices which are paid for them. The collection 
of horses in the later days of the Vienna Exhibition of 
1873 ' s remembered among the most valuable features of 
that great display, and there is no doubt that the noble 
expanses of Fairmount Park, in 1876, apart from the special 
accommodations in the Centennial grounds, will attract the 
best specimens from all the American States, and perhaps 
from Europe. The horse-show now open at the Palace of 
Industry is crowded daily, and is certainly an extraordinary 
affair. The presence of buyers from every corner of Europe, 
and of the English, French, and Italian nobility, adds to 
the interest of the show. When you are told that the 
French cavalry and artillery employ from seventy thou- 
sand to eighty thousand horses, that there are nine thou- 
sand in the omnibus lines of Paris, five thousand absorbed 
by the cabs and public coaches, you can form some idea of 
the private stables and the studs of the various racing men, 
and so estimate the steady demand upon the supply. 

Chantilly, the property of the Duke d'Aumale, fourth 
son of Louis Philippe (of Orleans), is about an hour's ride 
by rail from Paris. Its chateau, park, gardens, fountains, 
and drives, with its forest of six thousand seven hundred 
acres, are admirable. It is also curious from the historic 



132 



CHAN TILLY RACES. 



stables of the Duke, capable of holding one hundred and 
eighty horses. In May the Derby cups and in October the 
St. Leger prizes are contended for at Chantilly. Many 
valuable horses are kept and trained in the vicinity, in 
readiness for the semi-annual sport. Government provides 
some of the stakes, and outside organizations contribute to 
tne competition. 

Last Sunday I attended the course at Longchamps, close 
to Paris, and witnessed six magnificent races, for sums of 
from three thousand to ten thousand francs. All the horses 
advertised in these six races appeared except five. The 
Marquis of Rothschild had an entry in five; the other 
owners were noblemen and men of fortune, several having 
three and four in one race. The time was excellent, close, 
compact, and evidently honest. The order on the ground 
was not less marked than the punctuality. They began at 
two p.m., and finished the whole programme before six. 
The crowd was immense, but not a drunken man, nor a 
riot, nor a dispute. The excitement was French and harm- 
lessly fervid. 

The scene was altogether new to me. The course was 
green turf, not like ours — made ground ; the horses shod 
lightly only on the hind feet ; the riders in the colors of 
the owners ; the horses distinguished by white numbers on 
numerous black boards, and the winner seen at once as the 
only white figure left on the black boards. The course is 
one hundred and fifty-three acres ; there are four great 
stands, two on each side of the president's pavilion. The 
roofs have seats for eight hundred persons. In all there 
are places for eight thousand persons. There are three 
courses — one one thousand nine hundred metres, one two 
thousand three hundred, and one two thousand nine hun- 
dred — a metre being a little more than an American or 
English yard. The broad view from the stand is very beau- 
tiful, not unlike the look-out from George's Hill, in our 



AMERICAN-FRENCH STOCK'. 



l 33 



Park, east and west. In the noble space between the tracks 
there are frequent military displays, and in the distance 
you have the Bois de Boulogne, many elegant villas, the 
hills of St. Cloud, Mt. Valerien, and the river Seine. It 
is a gorgeous panorama on a race-day, when the stands are 
crowded with spectators, and the intervening expanse 
packed with carriages, filled with people watching the 
horses. 

On Sunday last there were many eminent and curious 
characters in the throng — sportsmen from all the nations, 
a long array of notables, and facing us the Count de Paris 
and his family, with Madame Erlanger, formerly Miss 
Slidell ; they held a gay court of their own. Among other 
men, the American consul-general for France, General 
Torbert, and Colonel Bridgland, the American consul at 
Havre. Conversing with them I gathered some valuable 
information in regard to French horses. General Torbert 
was a distinguished cavalry officer during the war, and -his 
tastes naturally inclined him to a careful examination of 
the subject. About a year ago he purchased a valuable 
Normandy stallion, now on his farm, near Milford, Dela- 
ware, and he speaks highly of his qualities. 

I asked Colonel Bridgland for his experience, and, as he 
comes from another part of France, I took down his words 
almost literally in answer to my questions. 

"What shall I say to our American horse-dealers and 
raisers, Colonel, who expect to be in great force at the 
Centennial, about the French breeds of this noble ani- 
mal?" 

Colonel Bridgland; — "I will tell you with pleasure. 
Soon after my induction into office at Havre my attention 
was called to the legalization of invoices of horses. 
Knowing that we were capable of producing horses at home 
cheaper than they can be produced here, in consequence 
of the low price of land and feed, I at once set about to 

12 



134 AMERICAN-FRENCH STOCK. 

ascertain for what purpose these horses were being shipped 
to the United States, and what were their grade and char- 
acter. I visited several lots that were in stables at Havre 
for export, and found them to be in most instances the 
descendants of the original Percheron, a horse of great 
size and endurance, weighing anywhere from one to three 
thousand pounds, with almost the action of an Arabian 
thoroughbred in many instances, and at the same time 
possessing the comparative strength of an elephant. Many 
of them are at work in the drays and truck-wagons in the 
French and other cities of Europe, where one of them of 
good average size, and in good condition, will haul with 
apparent ease twenty-five bales of American cotton, which 
is equal to two loads of cotton hauled in New York by two 
horses, or, in other words, is the work of four of our 
American truck-horses. 

"The pure-blooded 'Percheron horse' is a cross be- 
tween the thoroughbred Arabian and the original ' Nor- 
man draft horse,' — the first possessed of great fleetness and 
delicacy of form, the latter of great size and strength, — 
which constituted the ' stage stock' of France before the 
introduction of railroads. I can say, with positive cer- 
tainty, having had some experience as a stock-raiser, that 
these horses, now being largely imported into our Western 
States, if properly bred and the crosses properly made, will 
do more in the next ten years to give the United States a 
high order of general-purpose horses, or horses of all work, 
than all the horse importations that have hitherto been 
made, as nearly all of our importations hitherto have been 
racing running horses, which are worthless except for 
gambling purposes. We have bred that class of stock, and 
another class much more useful, the trotter, whose perfec- 
tion as such has been unequalled by any other part of the 
world, until we have bred our stock down so small that we 
have but few general-purpose or business horses that are fit 



AMERICAN-FRENCH STOCK. 



135 



for the common work of our country. These Percheron 
stallions, crossed with our small trotting and running 
mares, must produce very much the same kind of stock in 
our country that the Norman draft horse and the thorough- 
bred Arabian mare produced in France many years ago, 
which constitutes the present Percheron stock that I have 
referred to, and of which our farmers and stock-raisers im- 
ported last year from Havre alone more than one hundred. 
The prospect up to this time this year is that our importa- 
tions will double. 

" Our importers and dealers are now charging too much 
for them, but, as all new enterprises of this kind are ex- 
periments, the prices obtained at first are much larger than 
when the people have become familiar with the article they 
deal in. A good Percheron stallion can be delivered in 
New York for from one thousand to fifteen hundred dol- 
lars, and pay a reasonable profit to the importer, while the 
same are now selling in Illinois at from two to three thou- 
sand dollars ! 

"I have just returned from one of the great annual horse 
fairs in France, that of Bernay, in the department of the 
Eure, within my consular district, where there were more 
than three hundred of them, mares and horses, brought in 
by the farmers and dealers for sale. They were exhibited 
and sold by their owners, not at auction. Many of them 
were purchased by English dealers for the London and 
other English markets. Russia is becoming quite interested 
in this class of horse-raising, and the French Government 
was a buyer of several at this fair for the purpose of send- 
ing them to the Government herds in Algeria, there to be 
crossed with the Arabian thoroughbreds. 

"There were three or four American buyers, who, I 
think, made the very best selections, but, of course, as is 
usual for Americans over here, paid the biggest prices. 
Among them, Mr. Cicero Brown, a merchant and a long 



I3 6 AMERICAN-FREXCH STOCK. 

resident of Havre, shipped per steamer Canada, which left 
on March 3, some six Percheron horses, addressed to 
Mr. John Virgin, at Fairbury, 111. Of these was a beautiful 
bay colt, three years old, of rare beauty of form and bear- 
ing for a large horse ; also, a coal-black horse, four years 
old, very stylish, and of great size and power. Mr. B. H. 
Campbell, of Batavia, Kane County, 111., was likewise 
present at this fair, and made, I think, as excellent a 
selection as I have seen anywhere. I feel confident there 
is no part of our stock-raising in America that has been so 
neglected during the past twenty years as the business horse 
or horse of all work. I think, however, it would be better 
for our importers to import some Percheron mares as well 
as stallions, as upon our cheap food we can breed and raise 
a four-year-old stallion in any of our Middle or Western 
States at a cost to the farmer of not more than two hundred 
dollars, whilst the same animal, bred and raised on this 
side, would cost one thousand to fifteen hundred dollars, 
as I have already mentioned, to import. 

"On this trip I visited many large woollen and cotton 
manufactories, and am glad to say that in every instance 
the proprietors seemed not only willing, but anxious, to 
send specimens of their wares to our Centennial Exhibition 
at Philadelphia in 1S76. I believe that my consular dis- 
trict will be a liberal contributor to that great enterprise." 

Paris, April, 1875. 



BARTIIOLDI, THE FRENCH SCULPTOR. 



XXXVI. 

Bartholdi, the French Sculptor. — Scope of his Work. 

Four years ago a French sculptor, Auguste Bartholdi, 
visited Philadelphia, bearing letters from that good friend 
of America, M. Laboulaye, to several persons, myself 
among the rest, and remained long enough to attract 
special confidence by his modesty and ability. He saw 
some of the members of the Fairmount Park Commission, 
among others Theodore Cuyler and Henry M. Phillips, and 
he impressed them favorably by his several studies of the 
capacity of that spacious breathing-place of our city. One 
of these was a superb gate to the main entrance at the foot 
of Green Street, a combination of Revolutionary history 
and municipal development. He also made drawings 
showing the necessities and capabilities of Philadelphia in 
the matter of fountains in her various squares and spaces. 
There was something in the manner and in the experience 
of the young Frenchman that soon made him a favorite. 
He had fought under Garibaldi in the legion raised by the 
Italian hero during the Franco-German war, and he came 
to America after the German conquest to find a home and 
a republic for himself. He was in no sense a Communist, 
but believed, like his friend Laboulaye, that there could 
be no real rescue for France unless in a pure, representative 
democracy. I hoped he would have remained in America 
after having seen the Pacific coast, including the Yosemite, 
after visiting Chicago, Washington City, Boston, New 
York, and Philadelphia, and I had hopes that he would 
make Philadelphia his chosen residence. But he had a 



138 SCOPE OF BARTHOLDPS WORK. 

mother whom he loved better than life, and a country not 
yet given over to despotism, and so he returned to France. 

Visiting him here, I found him in his studio, No. 40 Rue 
Vavin, on the other side of the Seine, and spent a delight- 
ful hour with him, and this evening I have had a long talk 
with him in my little parlor at the Hotel Castiglione. The 
recent declaration of France in favor of a Republic has 
lifted him out of his gloom, and the approach of the cele- 
bration of the first century of American Independence — 
an independence saved and sealed by French valor — gives 
eloquent confidence to his deportment. The example of a 
spirit as noble as Bartholdi's proves that the love of liberty 
is not dead in Europe. It is wonderful how his ideal per- 
vades all his works; how an elevated religion and a cos- 
mopolitan humanity soften and strengthen them. While 
at Marseilles, in February, I saw his magnificent fountain 
before the new Museum, near the railroad station, with its 
four mighty lions couchant, the bright waters foaming into 
the beautiful marble basin, and the two shining temples, 
right and left, of science and education completing and 
fronting the splendid square; and though the guide could 
not remember the artist, I knew it was Bartholdi by the 
model he had shown me in Philadelphia nearly four years 
ago. Yesterday I saw the group in his studio, and recog- 
nized it at once. 

The next object belongs to our Centennial : also a foun- 
tain, to be cast in iron, and placed, as a specimen of 
his work, I trust, in one of the spaces in the American 
division. It embodies Light and Water, the twin goddesses 
of a great city. Three colossal nymphs of exquisite form 
upbear a wide circular shield into which the water falls from 
other figures, while ten lamps held up by as many beautiful 
arms shed light at night from their gas-globes, as they in- 
spire harmony in the day ; but the water is to flow forever. 
This rich and delicate group would cover some twenty 



SCOPE OF BARTHOLDPS WORK. 



J 39 



feet, and rise about forty. All he asks is that our authori- 
ties should supply the water and the light. It is the joint 
production of M. Bartholdi and a Paris moulder of dis- 
tinction, and I have no doubt it will find a ready sale, 
and lead to many orders from our cities, too sadly in need 
of such lovely objects in their squares and parks. His 
next work is his colossal figure of Lafayette on' his way to 
America in early youth. He stands on the prow of the 
ship that bears him, his right hand holding his sword to 
his breast and his left opened, while a serene expression 
lights his countenance, as he may be imagined to exclaim, 
"The moment I read the Declaration of Independence I 
offered my services to America," or words to that effect. 
This masterly conception is to be placed in Central Park, 
New York, by the French residents of that city. 

Here are the four models of the four famous bas-reliefs 
on the Brattlestreet Church, Boston, in red stone, over the 
front of that historic temple, and pronounced to be per- 
fect. They are called the "four steps of Christian life" 
— Marriage, Baptism, Communion, and Death. In one 
of the groups he has introduced the whole family of 
Laboulaye, and in another an accurate likeness of Charles 
Sumner. The figures in the photographs, with the angels 
at the pillars, alike those who typify of life and those who 
idealize death, are singularly faithful in expression and in 
pose and drapery, making of each bas-relief a study full of 
pathos and beauty. 

For the French frontier town of Belfort he has just 
finished a gigantic lion to face the great rock upon which 
the battlement stands, illustrating the heroism of the men 
of 1 87 1 who defended that post and saved it to France. 
The huge king of the forest, seated on the pedestal, yet 
rising on his front feet, glares over the border in stern de- 
fiance at the foes of France. I should think it at least 
thirty-five feet high. 



l 4 o M. BARTHOLDPS LIGHTHOUSE. 

Some of my readers perhaps may recollect that in 1871-2 
I attempted to describe, in The Press, M. Bartholdi's idea 
of a massive lighthouse, one hundred feet high, on Bedloe's 
Island, in the approach to the harbor of New York, to be 
constructed of copper, and to stand on a broad granite 
base : a female figure, with a tiara round her brow, to be 
composed of lights that might be seen for fifty miles at 
night. This is to be the contribution of the French Re- 
publicans to America, and all they will ask is that their 
compatriots in the United States shall see it well placed 
and kept in order. Till the French Republicans felt that 
they had a Government in accord with their sentiments, 
this colossal work could not be pushed ; but now that they 
can speak, and write, and paint, and carve their senti- 
ments, though not with the full freedom they might desire, 
the grand project is renewed and will be carried forward. 
The artist's thought is that all the nations may see by day 
the figure of Liberty welcoming them to the United States, 
and follow her shining welcome in the darkest hours of 
their despair. He made a survey of the outer waters of 
New York harbor before he began his sketches and finished 
his model. It is a conception worthy of Michael Angelo. 

This rapid sketch is not "a business notice" of M. 
Bartholdi. He requires no such advertisement. His 
hands are full of orders. His models on competitive 
occasions are generally successful, especially for fountains 
for towns and cities. I do not, indeed, conceal my per- 
sonal attachment to this gifted young Republican, but I 
think I do other people quite as much good as himself 
when I attempt to describe his character and his produc- 
tions. But he will be in Philadelphia in 1876, to speak for 
himself. 

Paris, April, 1875. 



ART SALES IN LONDON. 141 

XXXVII. 

Art Sales in London. — Plethora of Wealth. — Bank Deposits. 

Nothing would be more useful than a faithful statement 
of the individual and collective wealth of Great Britain. 
The income of the estates of the leading families of the 
nobility, and especially of the persons engaged in manu- 
factures of cotton, iron, ale, glass, porcelain, silk, and the 
leading ship-builders and shippers, including the endless 
revenues of the various mines, and the returns of persons 
engaged in the wine and tea trades, would in the aggregate 
startle the world. We can approximate the national wealth 
by noting the growth of exports and imports from 1859 to 
1870, and the increase of the national indebtedness from 
1688 to 1871. 

Every week the newspapers contain a list of wills and 
bequests, and I have often thought of digesting these dis- 
closures to illustrate the almost incalculable riches of thou- 
sands who are never heard of till they die; not the least 
suggestive feature being the way in which they finally dis- 
tribute their money. 

A specimen of the manner in which a good deal of 
money is spent in high life was furnished in the recent 
sales of pictures, two at the Manley Hall Gallery, on the 
23d and 24th of April, and the other on May 1, when the 
celebrated Brieul collection was put up at auction. I 
will not run through the whole catalogue. On the first 
day, "The Night Before Naseby," a picture forty inches 
by fifty, was sold for nearly one thousand five hundred 
dollars; another, Marsand's "Venus," thirty-seven by 
twenty-five inches,, was sold for two thousand six hun- 



142 



ART SALES IN LONDON. 



dred and twenty-five dollars ; another, " Hermione, in the 
'Winter's Tale,'" for over two thousand seven hundred 
dollars. An unfinished picture by J. Philip, "Winnowing 
Corn," thirty-seven by thirty inches, for two thousand five 
hundred dollars ; a painting by Leslie, twenty-three by 
thirty-four inches, from " Henry VIII.," being the King 
unmasking to Cardinal Wolsey (sold a few years ago for 
nine hundred and sixty guineas), now brought one thou- 
sand three hundred and sixty-five pounds, or nearly seven 
thousand dollars. A picture by L. Gallait, forty-four 
inches by sixty, was started at one thousand six hundred 
guineas and sold for two thousand six hundred and seventy- 
seven pounds, nearly fourteen thousand dollars. All these 
sums are in gold, and this one day's sale realized more 
than one hundred and sixty thousand dollars. 

At these auctions you notice all sorts of characters, the 
rooms are always crammed, there are agents from most of 
the nations, and there is a Babel of tongues. The aristocracy 
are present in person or by their representatives. Next 
day (April 24, 1875) tne sa ^ e was dramatic in its numerous 
living characters and the almost speaking pictures, and in 
the great excitement of the rival bidders and buyers. The 
experience proves one thing conclusively, — the vast amount 
of money in England ready to be paid for good objects of 
art, pictures, statuary, plate, engravings, and, very natu- 
rally, old wines. In this day's sale there was a famous 
water-color by Turner, known as "Venice — the Grand 
Canal." This fine picture, thirty-six by forty-eight inches, 
was painted by the artist for three hundred guineas, and 
fourteen years ago was sold for two thousand four hundred 
guineas. It was now started at a bid of four thousand 
guineas, and went up in two bids, one of which came from 
the rich Earl of Dudley, to six thousand guineas; but here 
the struggle for this small painting really began. It was 
as good as a play to watch the audience as the contest for 



ART SALES IN LONDON. 



143 



this vvater-color painting deepened, and when finally the 
hammer fell, and Mr. Agnew, the daring dealer in these 
expensive works of art, finally secured it, the cheering was 
loud and long. His bid was seven thousand guineas, or 
over thirty-six thousand five hundred dollars. It is be- 
lieved that Mr. Agnew bought it for the Earl of Dudley, 
who had just previously paid fifteen thousand dollars for 
an oil painting by Landseer, called "The Deer Family." 
Much enthusiasm was created by a work of P. Frith, R.A., 
entitled " Before Dinner at Boswell's Lodgings in Bond 
Street, in 1769," thirty-eight inches by sixty-three. The 
characters in the picture are Johnson, Garrick, Goldsmith, 
Reynolds, Murphy, Bickerstaff, Janes, and Boswell. It 
started at two thousand guineas, and was struck down to 
Mr. Agnew at four thousand five hundred and sixty-seven 
pounds, or about twenty-four thousand dollars. A picture 
of J. Millais was sold for about sixteen thousand dollars, 
and ethers in almost equal proportion ; as both Millais and 
Frith are living, they ought to feel highly complimented 
by these tremendous prices for their work. This day's sale 
amounted to sixty-five thousand five hundred and ninety- 
three pounds, which, with that of the day before, makes 
the total sum paid for pictures ninety-seven thousand nine 
hundred and eighty-two pounds, and adding this to the 
sums received for plate and porcelain, for wines and en- 
gravings, the two days' auction netted one hundred and 
fifty thousand one hundred nd forty-seven pounds, or, in 
round numbers, over seven hundred and fifty thousand 
dollars. On Saturday, the 1st of May, forty-eight thou- 
sand three hundred and ninety-three pounds, or nearly 
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, were paid for one 
hundred and sixty-five pictures at the same rooms belong- 
ing to the so-called "Bedel" collection, so that you will 
see that in little more than a week about one million dol- 
lars have been expended by a few persons almost entirely 



144 PLETHORA OF WEALTH. 

for pictures. As other sales are to be held during the 
present week, including English and foreign porcelain, 
water-colors, and sculpture, what I have here described 
will be somewhat, no doubt, repeated. Such is the record 
of expenditure in one department of taste alone. 

Let me now call attention to a fact which bears some- 
what significantly upon the general desire in England for 
safe investments in good paying securities. In conversa- 
tion a few evenings ago with a gentleman well versed in 
finance, he referred to the plethora of money in London, 
and confidently asserted that most of it was not drawing 
more than from two to three per cent, per annum, and he 
added that he had no doubt that the moment the United 
States recovered from their panic, so as to be able to con- 
vince the moneyed interests of Europe that they could and 
would pay all their suspended interests, and be strong 
enough to make good all their obligations in the future, 
that capital would rush irresistibly to our side of the At- 
lantic. "There is a natural desire to invest in America," 
he said, "and I beg of you to impress the lesson upon 
your people that nothing is needed on their part but good 
faith to absorb all our dead capital ;" and he then handed 
me the following account of deposits in the public banks 
of London at midsummer last year, 1874. No mention is 
made in this list of the Bank of England, inasmuch as the 
private deposits there are chiefly bankers' balances, nor 
does he take into account the Indian, Australian, Cana- 
dian, and Cape banks, which all receive deposits more or 
less. There are in addition thirty-one private bankers, 
who make no return of their deposits, one of them, in 
fact, having larger deposits on hand than any of the pub- 
lic banks named. In fact, my information leads me to 
believe that the private banks of London are holding as 
much money in their vaults as are the public banks, and I 
think it is a safe assertion that there are at least three hun- 



AMERICAN AND BRITISH HOTELS. 145 

dred millions of pounds sterling on deposit in London, 
or fifteen hundred millions of dollars, which, with any- 
thing like common sense and fair dealing, we could in 
great part attract to the United States. I now submit the 
interesting table of my financial friend : 

DEPOSITS JUNE 30, 1S74. 

London and Westminster Bank ,£31,243,608 

National Provincial Bank 21,822,175 

London Joint Stock Bank 21,870,615 

London and County Bank 18,928,918 

Union Bank 13,918,162 

City Bank 3,206,086 

Consolidated Bank 2,929,492 

Imperial Bank 1,976,266 

Alliance Bank 1,722,739 

London and Provincial Bank ...... 1,319,098 

National Discount Company 9,568,718 

Standard Discount Company 3,997,286 

United Discount Company ....... 2,272,733 

Total j£i34.7-5.396 

London, May, 1875. 



XXXVIII. 

American and British Hotels. 

In the matter of hotels, by almost universal consent, 
especially on the part of the strangers who have tried those 
in the United States, we are far ahead of the Europeans. 
Edmund Yates, who visited our country a few years ago, 
returned with such an appreciation of the Continental, in 
Philadelphia; the Brevoort, in New York; the Revere, in 
Boston; Welker's and the Arlington, in Washington, that it 
is a treat to hear him talk about them ; and I have previously 

G \% 



146 AMERICAN AND BRITISH HOTELS. 

referred to the experience of Rev. Llewellyn Bevan, detailed 
to his London congregation, in regard to his own experi- 
ences of American hotels. My own judgment concurs in 
this verdict, not only in point of comfort, but in point of 
expense. I aver that you can live cheaper at any of our great 
hotels than you can in the same class in London or in Paris. 
Of course, there are boarding-houses in all the English and 
Continental cities where, with ordinary economy, you can get 
on with very little expense, but there is such an infinitude of 
small charges everywhere that, do what you may, you find 
yourself at the end of the week considerably out of pocket. 
For instance, if 50U try to send the waiter off on an errand 
he takes your message to a Commissionaire, who charges 
you a shilling. It is sixpence here and sixpence there, and 
the accumulated items in one of the bills of the Langham, 
or the Midland, or the Charing Cross, or the Westminster, 
would make you stare. You pay extra for lights, for fire, 
for attendance, for " Boots" ; all outside of fees extra to 
a legion of servants, and with all the talk about cheap 
fares you must be on the qui vive to avoid swindling hack- 
men and drivers. An experienced Londoner gives it as 
his opinion that if the great hotels in this metropolis were 
half as good as they are in America, the system of clubs 
would not have grown as it has into the present colossal 
organization. 

London, May, 1875. 



A "BLUE LAW" REVIVED. 



147 



XXXIX. 

A " Blue Law" revived. — Sunday in London. — The People and the 
Sabbath. — Sunday Newspapers. 

There are some aspects of Sunday in England which 
have just received a curious illustration. About two weeks 
ago an old law, passed a hundred years ago, was revived, 
providing that any place of amusement opened on Sunday 
for which a price of admission is charged shall be fined 
two hundred pounds for every such offence. The fanatic 
who did this work brought the case before one of the 
Courts, but the terms of the statute were so clear that the 
learned judge, while not failing to denounce the motive 
which induced the resurrection of the law, was compelled 
to decide that it must be enforced. The special object 
was to deprive the laboring classes, who have for many 
years been able to enjoy themselves at the Brighton Aqua- 
rium on Sunday, by means of low railroad fares and cheap 
tickets of admission, of this method of rational relaxation; 
and if the decree of the judge is permitted to stand, by 
allowing the old statute to remain unrepealed they will be 
excluded from the few other places of amusement accessi- 
ble to them the first day of the week. It will require little 
ingenuity on the part of any narrow bigot to compel the 
closing of the Zoological Gardens and of the Alexandria 
Palace on Sunday. Of course there is considerable excite- 
ment, and, although there is a general belief that Parlia- 
ment will sweep away the ordinance which, until now, has 
remained a dead letter, the work will not be accomplished 
without much angry discussion. In connection with this 
event the directors of the London, Brighton, and South 



I4 8 SUNDAY IN LONDON. 

Coast Railway Company have suppressed all Sunday ex- 
cursions by abolishing cheap fares on that day. In con- 
trast with this is the liberal action of our Park Commis- 
sioners, who allow the multitudes of Philadelphia the free 
range of Fairmount on Sunday, and the humane policy of 
the managers of our Zoological Garden. 

To-day, which is Sunday, as I again strolled past the closed 
shops and taverns of London, and noted the universal cessa- 
tion of business, the dead calm of the mighty ocean of trade, 
which to-morrow will roar with the rush of the tempest of 
traffic, I did not forget that there were many noble parks 
and spaces in London in which the people may always roam 
at pleasure on the Sabbath day. These glorious expanses, 
already bright in the heavy verdure of May, and soon to 
be garlanded with the flowers of this moist and moderate 
climate, are the special charms of London, and it is to the 
enduring honor of Government that they are jealously 
guarded among the precious privileges of the people. 

William Penn, when he founded Philadelphia, 1682, kept 
in view the many gardens and parks of London, and to his 
wise forecast we are indebted for those we now have, in- 
cluding the additions inspired by his example. In his 
"Instructions for Settling the Colony," dated September 
30, 1681, he directed for Philadelphia "that each house 
should be in the middle of the breadth of the ground, so 
as to give place to gardens, that it might be a green coun- 
try-towne which might never be burnt and always whole- 
some." And I gather from documents in the British 
Museum that when Penn reached Philadelphia in Novem- 
ber of 1682 he changed the names and location of some 
of the streets. " Many had been named after prominent 
colonists. For instance, what is now Walnut was first 
called Pool Street ; Mulberry was Holmes Street ; Chest- 
nut was Union Street, which was not satisfactory to the 
proprietor. He gave the name of High Street to the wide 



LONDON PARA'S. 



149 



central avenue from river to river, and the other main streets 
parallel with it he called after the forest-trees found there. 
The cross streets were named according to their numbers, 
as Front, Second, Third, etc., beginning at each river, and 
counting to Broad Street. He reserved in the middle of 
the city, at the intersection of High (now Market) and 
Broad Streets, a large square for public buildings and for 
health and recreation ; in each of the four divisions of the 
city was a square for public walks. It was his intention 
and original plan not to permit buildings to be erected on 
the river banks, but to have there a wide promenade the 
whole length of the city. This beautiful and salutary 
arrangement was in after-years allowed to be infringed 
upon." And then mark this paragraph from the same 
authority: "Broad Street, which is parallel with the Dela- 
ware, and lies nearly midway between that river and the 
Schuylkill, had not been located on the highest ground, 
and the Governor had it changed to the top of the ridge, 
though nearer to the Schuylkill, so that the public buildings 
intended to be placed there should overlook the whole city." 
I have had much satisfaction in showing the beautiful pho- 
tograph of the new Philadelphia city buildings, and the 
fine descriptive pamphlet of the president, Mr. Perkins, to 
our friends abroad, and the ancient document is a full con- 
firmation of the policy which dictated their erection on 
the present site. 

You can thus see where our founder obtained his model 
nearly two hundred years ago, when he established Phila- 
delphia, as you saunter through the numerous parks — "the 
lungs of London." There are fourteen of these parks or 
pleasure-grounds open to the people every day in the week, 
including the magnificent expanses of Hampton Court and 
Kew. It is interesting to notice how these magnificent 
spaces are made tributary to the comfort of the people. 
The troops are drilled in some of them. Portions are set 



r 5° 



SUNDAY NEWSPAPERS. 



apart for trap-ball, rounders, cricket, and other games. 
The lakes are used for bathing and boating. Excursion 
parties are permitted and encouraged, and in Hyde Park, 
while the aristocracy drive and ride in all their splendor, 
the people by thousands enjoy the beautiful sight as they 
walk through the grounds. Romance and history are com- 
bined. On the sides of most of these parks lines of noble 
mansions are built, and you recall the past in the midst of 
the royal expanses of the present. Statues, arches, and 
gates add to their superb adornment. If the population 
of London should prefer to go farther, they have the out- 
lying country and the cheap steam excursions on the Thames, 
from all of which you will see that notwithstanding the 
vigor with which the great city itself is kept in order on 
the Sabbath, plenty of opportunities for rational enjoyment 
have been provided by this watchful and considerate Gov- 
ernment. 

As I am writing about Sunday in London, let me say 
a word about the weekly papers most largely read by 
the people on that day. The principal are the Observer, 
the Court organ ; the Sunday Times (not connected with 
the daily Times, as it is a fact that no daily paper here has 
a Sunday edition) ; Lloyd' s Newspaper, the Weekly De- 
spatch, the Weekly Times, and Reynolds' Newspaper. With 
the exception of the Observer and the Sunday -Times, 
these are badly written, and filled with the scandals of the 
week past, especially murders, seductions, and divorces. 
Reynolds' does not hesitate to speak of the nobility, and 
even of the Royal Family, in the most offensive terms. It 
is positively asserted that Reynolds' is read by five hundred 
thousand persons, and the other penny weeklies have a large 
circulation also. I cannot help thinking, as I contrast the 
learning, ability, and courteous impersonality of the London 
daily papers with the unconstrained and indecent material 
of the London Sunday papers, that the chasm between the 



THE HERALDS' COLLEGE LN LONDON. 



151 



two is appallingly wide, and that, until what are called the 
lower classes are supplied with a purer popular literature, 
there must always be discontent, and the requirements of 
the law must be severely enforced. 

The other weeklies, aesthetic, art, religious, sporting, 
critical, illustrated, and scientific, most of which are very 
large fortunes in themselves, are published for cultivated 
reading. For all classes are comic journals, — Figaro, 
Punch, Punch and Judy, and Vanity Fair. There is 
nothing in this mighty metropolis more worthy of careful 
study than its ephemeral literature of the day. 

London, May, 1875. 



XL. 

The Heralds' College in London. 

Shakspeare's Henry the Fifth, in his often quoted 
soliloquy before the battle of St. Crispin, and after his 
interview with two of his private soldiers, Bates and Wil- 
liams, as a stranger knight, uses the following language : 

And what art thou, thou idol ceremony? 

What kind of god art thou, that suffer'st more 

Of mortal griefs, than do thy worshippers ? 

What are thy rents? What are thy comings in? 

O ceremony, show me but thy worth ! 

What is thy soul of adoration ? 

Art thou aught else but place, degree, and form, 

Creating awe and fear in other men ? 

Wherein thou art less happy, being fear'd, 

Thin they in fearing. 

What drink'st thou oft, instead of homage sweet, 

But poison'd flattery 1 Oh ! be sick, great greatness, 

And bid thy ceremony give thee cure ! 



!52 



THE HERALDS COLLEGE LN LONDON. 



Such seems to be the general idea of the forms and 
fashions of State, and, in fact, such has been my own judg- 
ment ; but a recent visit to what is called the Heralds' 
College, on the east side of Bennet's Hill, Doctors' Com- 
mons, largely modified this impression. It is a perfect 
repository of the pedigrees of the nobility and of all per- 
sons of rank, including the old families, commoners as 
well. Here you realize that what we know of England is, 
in fact, the history of its great houses, beginning with the 
original founders, and running through the ages down to 
the present time. In our country such a thing as an old 
family thus preserving itself through the generations is un- 
common. Here, many a person may look back over his 
ancestry for a thousand years, tracing his own name and 
lineage through long periods, by means of printed and 
written documents carefully laid away. 

With us (where we have no such system as that of entail 
or primogeniture) the man alone is considered, not the 
family; and while many of our most distinguished persons 
have attempted to transmit their greatness through their 
children, it seems as if by some Providential ordinance 
that each should have been the sole conspicuous instance 
of his name. 

The province of the Heralds' College is to preserve the 
pedigrees of the nobility and gentry. It also forms a trib- 
unal by which spurious aspirants for arms are detected 
and punished. It gives elaborate details of coronations, 
royal marriages, christenings, funerals, visits of kings and 
princes, cavalcades, jousts, tournaments, and combats. 
The funerals of the kings and princes fill sixty-five folio 
volumes, in which a representation of the royal body and 
the procession, with every pennon and hatchment that was 
used, is quaintly and beautifully executed; also lists of all the 
noble and official persons present. It is, in fact, an immense 
library, entirely dedicated to the one object of keeping 






THE HERALDS' COLLEGE JN LONDON. 



153 



alive that respect for Rank which is, after all, one of the 
strong fortresses of English power. Nor are these forms, 
as we examine them in the light of this old establishment, 
insubstantial things. They frequently decide not only 
legal questions, but are often produced in Parliament to 
determine the claims to peerages, or to verify some point 
in diplomacy or statecraft. 

The present College was built in 1683, from the design 
of Sir Christopher Wren, upon the site of the former 
college, destroyed in the great fire of London, in 1666 ; 
but fortunately the valuable collection of books and docu- 
ments was saved. It is of brick, and, like all these ancient 
edifices, discolored by time and the climate. The main 
building stands back from the highway, two projecting 
wings forming a square or court in front. It is a note- 
worthy fact that even Cromwell had his King-of-Arms. 

The College itself was incorporated by Richard the 
Third, in 1484, and is composed of an Earl Marshal (the 
Duke of Norfolk, one of the leading Roman Catholic 
noblemen of England), three kings-of-arms, six heralds, 
and four pursuivants. The office of Earl Marshal is heredi- 
tary in the house of Norfolk, and the other members hold 
by appointment of the Queen. The heralds, as the officers 
of the College except the Earl Marshal are generally 
termed, attend at court on formal State occasions, espe- 
cially at the opening and closing of the House of Lords by 
the Queen, and the royal ceremonies above alluded to. 
Their dress is singularly rich, quaint and ornamental. Mr. 
Stephen I. Tucker, the Rouge Croix pursuivant, who kindly 
accompanied us over the College, showed us his Court 
dress, — a scarlet coat richly embroidered in gold, with 
buttons of the royal household, a cocked hat, with cockade 
of the House of Hanover, dark pantaloons with a broad 
golden stripe, and a small sword. 

The first records of the College were obtained by visi- 

G* 



J 54 



THE HERALDS' COLLEGE LN LONDON. 



tations into the counties of England in 1530, the last 
visitation in 1687, tne object being to secure authentic 
lists of the title and pedigree of the gentry, not only in 
justice to the rightful claimants but to avoid imposition. 
The heralds cited all parties wearing or claiming the right 
to wear armorial bearings before them in the King's name 
to show their right to "bear arms," which means the 
privilege of wearing upon their persons and equipages the 
badge or order of their respective families. This power is 
still lodged in the College, and the records constitute a 
perfect and authorized catalogue of all the nobility and 
titled commoners of England since the time of the first 
visitation. Every successor to the privilege of bearing 
arms must attest his family record in the presence of two 
of the Queen's heralds, as follows: "We certify that the 
above account of our family is true to the best of our 
knowledge and belief." We saw a very recent attestation 
of the present Duke of Bedford, and were also shown, 
among others, the signature of Sir Isaac Newton, certifying 
to his pedigree. 

Passing into another room we found ourselves in the old 
Court of Chivalry and Honor, which was adorned with 
portraits of the whole succession of Earls Marshal from the 
time of the Conquest, and contained the throne in which 
the Earl Marshal used to sit and adjudge all matters con- 
nected with honor and arms. This court, which has been 
abolished, became nearly as oppressive and almost as de- 
testable as the Star Chamber. At one time it imprisoned 
and ruined a merchant citizen for calling a swan a goose, 
and at another fined Sir George Markham ten thousand 
pounds for saying, after he had horsewhipped the saucy 
huntsman of Lord Darcey, that if his master justified the 
insolence which he had punished he would horsewhip him. 

When a person desires to obtain what is called a grant 
of arms, he employs one of the heralds, and through him 



THE HERALDS' COLLEGE IN LONDON. 155 

presents a memorial to the Earl Marshal, praying "that his 
Grace will issue his warrant to the king-of-arms authorizing 
and confirming to him proper armorial ensigns to be borne 
according to the laws of heraldry by him and his descend- 
ants." If on examination the claimant proves his right, 
this patent is registered in the books of the College, and 
receives the signatures of the Garter king-of-arms and of one 
of the provincial kings-of-arms. The fees for such a grant 
amount to seventy-five guineas, about four hundred dollars. 
An ordinary search of the records costs five shillings, and 
a general search one guinea (twenty- one shillings). 

Besides the original grant, the arms are sometimes aug- 
mented for meritorious service, whether in battle, in sci- 
ence, in art, or in statesmanship. When Sir William 
Gull, the eminent physician, was made a baronet, the 
Heralds' College made him a grant of arms representing 
the serpent of yEsculapius and three gulls, surmounted by a 
crest, with two hands upholding the torch of life, with the 
motto Sine Deo frustra (unless God prevents). After he 
had rescued the Prince of Wales from his late dangerous 
illness, the Queen, to signalize her gratitude, sent to the 
College a special order for an augmentation of his arms, 
and this was effected by adding to his arms one of the 
feathers of the Prince of Wales's plume and the lion of 
England on an escutcheon. All these things may seem 
absurd to Americans, but there is a certain value attached 
to this recognition of distinguished ability higher in fact 
than any pecuniary compensation, inasmuch as such tokens 
are transmitted from generation to generation and rank 
among the imperishable memorials of the name. With 
all our republicanism we must not forget our pride in the 
men of the Revolution and in those great characters who 
have reflected honor upon our country, and the care with 
which we pay all respect to their memorials, which is really 
an unconscious imitation of British custom. 



156 THE HERALDS' COLLEGE IN LONDON. 

Another instance shown us of the minuteness with which 
family honors are preserved was a document containing a 
full statement of the seven marriages of Sir Gervase Clifton, 
who was a widower six times; and the pedigree of his 
descendants through these seven marriages, apparently 
complicated, is here clearly unravelled. A curious family 
history contained the petition of Thomas Greenhill in 1698 
to the Earl Marshal humbly praying that " in consideration 
of your petitioner being the seventh son and thirty-ninth 
child of one father and mother, your Grace will please to 
signalize it by some particular mark or augmentation in 
his coat-of-arms to transmit to posterity so uncommon a 
thing." This odd petition was granted by the Earl Mar- 
shal and a warrant was issued to the heralds authorizing 
them to distinguish the arms of the petitioner, which they 
differenced by adding thirty-nine mullets or spur-rowels to 
his bearings. 

A strange old vellum volume, beautifully written and 
decorated, the work of a monk of the fourteenth century, 
professes to be "The Pedigree from Adam, to the Saxon 
Kings;" but not content with beginning with Adam, the 
skilful genealogist commenced with the three persons of 
the Trinity as the founders of the family of the Saxon 
kings. Nothing could be more ingenious than the highly- 
decorated pages of this wonderful book, displaying a skill 
equal to that of Albert Durer. A picture of the Trinity is 
followed by one of Adam and Eve in the Garden, with their 
memoirs, as well as the history of the leading members of 
the family. His sketch of the life of Adam concludes in 
these words: " And when he had lived 930 years he died, 
and is buried at Ebron, and he died of the gout." This 
laborious and artistic work is further embellished with pic- 
tures of the ark, the tower of Babel, Jacob wrestling with 
the Angel, etc. 

We were shown a fine manuscript, said to have been 



THE HERALDS' COLLEGE LN LONDON. 



*57 



compiled to teach heraldry to Prince Arthur, the elder 
brother of Henry VIII., who died young, and whose 
widow, Catharine of Aragon, was the first of Henry's six 
wives. It begins with the arms of Prince Arthur impaled 
with Aragon, and contains the arms of that period, the 
royal badges, the size and importance given to crests, how 
standards were borne by one supporter of the house, and 
many other illustrations magnificently illuminated on vel- 
lum. 

Another volume contained a history of the College, the 
lives of the heralds, their portraits, signatures, arms, pedi- 
grees, and what they had done and written. Our courteous 
conductor, Mr. Tucker, showed us an interesting scrap of 
his own family history. His ancestor, Stephen Tucker, 
had the high honor conferred upon him by Henry VIII. 
of being permitted to sit covered in the royal presence, a 
privilege accorded to but six families. The deed, dated 
July 2, 15 19, is a curious study of the time, and is a li< ense 
to the said Tucker " to use and weare his bonnet upon his 
hede as well in our presence as elsewhere at his libertie ; 
wherefore we will and command you and every of you to 
permit and suffer him so to doe without any your chal- 
lenges, lets, or interruptions to the contrary." 

A remarkable vellum roll gave the pedigree of the Earls 
of Warwick down to the Kingmaker of Edward the Fourth, 
beginning with Guitheln, King of Britain, who founded the 
town of Warwick about the period of the birth of Alexan- 
der the Great, B.C. 356. The portraits were quaintly and 
artistically executed, showing the memoir and full achieve- 
ment of arms. If the ancestor was represented holding a 
house, it signified that he had acquired lands; if with a 
sword, that he was a warrior ; a church, that he founded 
an abbey ; a child, that his son and heir had died in the 
lifetime of the father. 

We were shown the ring, sword, and dagger taken from 
14 



158 THE HERALDS' COLLEGE IN LONDON. 

the body of James the Fourth, the grandfather of Mary 
Queen of Scots, at Flodden, as trophies of the victory by 
the Earl of Surrey, who commanded the British forces and 
was of the Duke of Norfolk's family, and therefore Earl 
Marshal of the Heralds' College. The ring, which is set in 
turquoise, had been sent by the Queen of France to poor 
James the Fourth on the eve of the battle of Flodden, tell- 
ing him to break a lance for her, and the gallant Prince 
put it on his finger as a. gage (Tamitie. 

We next entered a room the walls of which were adorned 
with portraits of eminent heralds in their tabards. Here 
were shoals of pedigree, the Gloucester pedigree alone 
filling eleven large volumes, and the indexes to wills com- 
prising about a hundred volumes. One of the most in- 
teresting collections was the Talbot Papers, of the time of 
Queen Elizabeth, being mainly correspondence with the 
Earls of Shrewsbury, particularly the Earl who had the 
custody of Mary Queen of Scots in his castle in Sheffield 
Park. I was struck with a postscript in the handwriting of 
Queen Elizabeth to a letter written to the Earl of Shrews- 
bury by her secretary, Sir Francis Walsingham. The Queen 
at this time had just recovered from the smallpox, and 
such was her vanity that she- imagined the Earl, then at a 
great distance from her, would think she was disfigured; 
therefore she added the following postscript in her own 
hand : 

My Faithful Shrewsbury : Let no grief touche your harte for 
feare of my disease for I assure you if my creadit were not greatar than 
my showe ther is no beholdar wold beleve that ever I had bin touched 
with suche a maladie. 

Your faitheful lovinge soveraine, 

Elizabeth R. 

But to speak in detail of the beautiful illuminated collec- 
tions, of the quaint chronicles and vellum rolls, of arms 
of abbeys and priories, arms of Knights of the Bath, arms 



NEWSPAPER PRESS FUND DINNER. 



159 



of Esquires of the Bath, baronets' patents, summonses, cere- 
monials, royal grants and appointments, is beyond the 
compass of a letter; a volume could be filled with what 
we saw in one afternoon. 
London, May, 1875. 



XL I. 

London Newspaper Press Fund Dinner. 

Venerable in years and eminent in all the higher, and 
perhaps in many of the lower attributes of our nature, 
nothing captivates the stranger half so completely as the 
numerous benevolent institutions of London. They are 
difficult to count — remedies as they are for almost every 
degree of human want and suffering. Thus we have from 
thirty to fifty different leading hospitals, a long catalogue 
of Freemasons' lodges, with the organizations of the For- 
esters and Odd-Fellows ; also, what are called the Funds 
of the different trades, many institutions connected with 
the Establishment, the Roman Catholic, and Nonconform- 
ist Churches, and a great list of societies containing pro- 
vision for their aged and poor; but until within the last 
few years there was no such care for the necessitous mem- 
bers of the literary departments of the newspaper press and 
for their widows and orphan children. While the press was 
successfully advocating the claims of institutions founded 
for the benefit of unfortunate members of other classes, 
there was nothing for similar cases connected with its own 
body. Some twelve years ago it was resolved to estab- 
lish the present organization. I have just "assisted" at 
the twelfth anniversary, celebrated at Willis's Rooms, — 



160 NEWSPAPER PRESS FUND DINNER. 

historic quarters opened February 12, 1765, by a great 
ball, at which the Duke of Cumberland, the hero of Cul- 
loden, was present. From that time they have been used 
for many celebrated meetings, dramatic readings, lectures, 
concerts, public gatherings, religious or political. The 
large ball-room is about one hundred feet in length by 
forty feet in width, chastely decorated with gilt columns 
and pilasters, classic medallions, mirrors, etc., lit with 
gas in cut-glass lustres. Seventeen hundred persons have 
more than once gathered under its fretted ceilings. Here 
Mr. Peabody gave a memorable entertainment, while Ab- 
bott Lawrence was American minister in London, at which 
the Duke of Wellington attended, only a few months be- 
fore his death, and had a royal greeting from the American 
ladies and gentlemen who clustered to take the illustrious 
hero by the hand; and here I saw the twelfth anniversary 
of the Newspaper Press Fund celebrated under very inter- 
esting auspices. It was beautiful to see the whole space 
covered with tables, glittering with flowers and plate, with 
the company over two hundred in number, not including 
the ladies who came in after dinner to enjoy the music and 
the speeches. 

To me the Very Rev. Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, D.D. , 
Dean of Westminster, who took the chair about the centre 
of the table, was the most interesting person. Not only 
among the adherents of the Established Church, but among 
all intelligent thinkers and readers, the venerable Dean 
may be said to have attained universal respect and admira- 
tion, as well because of his polemic writings as of his liter- 
ary accomplishments. Nothing gave him a warmer, stronger 
hold upon the American mind than his unique and striking 
sermon over the grave of Charles Dickens in Westminster 
Abbey. He was born in 181 5, and is, therefore, about 
sixty years old. Educated under Dr. Arnold at Rugby, 
and finishing his collegiate career at Oxford, he passed 



NEWSPAPER PRESS FUND DINNER. 161 

through the highest degrees. He was twelve years tutor 
of his college, Canon of Canterbury from 1851 to 1858, 
Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford, 
Canon of Christ Church, and chaplain to the Bishop of 
London from 1858 to 1863, when he became Dean of 
Westminster. To such a mind Westminster Abbey is in 
itself an endless and eloquent text in stone, and therefore 
what he has spoken and written upon that prolific subject 
adds, if possible, new value to the treasure-stores within 
its antiquated walls. How inspiring the enthusiasm with 
which he describes the old abbey: "There is no other 
church in the world," he says, "except perhaps the Krem- 
lin, at Moscow, with which royalty ,is so intimately asso- 
ciated. Here, however, sovereigns are crowned and buried 
under the same roof, whereas in Russia the coronation 
takes place in one church, the marriage in another, and a 
third is reserved for the reception of the dead." As the 
Dean entered the outer room in which the guests were 
received at the Newspaper Press Fund dinner, in formal 
but not ungraceful clerical costume, with the scarlet ribbon 
and jewel of the order of the Bath, of which he is ex-officio 
Dean, he seemed like a figure from some antique picture. 
Quiet, graceful, gentle, with almost feminine manners, he 
was the object of respectful attention. Something like 
Mr. William M. Evarts, of New York, though not so tall, 
and older, his diminutive stature did not detract from his 
natural dignity, and his speech on taking the chair was a 
model of composition, difficult to hear as he spoke it, and 
yet delightful to read as it is printed in the newspapers. 

Lord Houghton, the president of the Fund Association, 
was also conspicuous. Everybody in America has heard 
of Richard Monckton Milnes and his marked liberality of 
opinion, his high literary attainments, social talents, and 
warm attachment to the United States. Born in 1809, 
twenty-seven years in the House of Commons, created Lord 

14* 



1 62 NEWSPAPER PRESS FUND DINNER. 

Houghton, and raised to the dignity of a peer by Lord 
Palmerston, as well for his support of the policy of Lord 
Palmerston as for his literary merits, he has nevertheless 
always been what is called an independent man, and seems 
to have thrown his whole soul into this Newspaper Press 
Fund organization. 

Among this brilliant coterie I met my friend, William 
Howard Russell, LL.D., the famous correspondent of the 
London Times, who will accompany the Prince of Wales to 
India and is exceedingly anxious to visit America during 
our Exposition next year. There were also present Sir 
Joseph Whitworth, the celebrated ordnance inventor; Jus- 
tin McCarthy, the rising novelist of the day and one of 
the editors of the London Netus ; Count Beust, the Austro- 
Hungarian minister; our old friend the Chevalier Wikoff, 
as fresh, genial, and sympathetic as he was forty years ago, 
the same keen observer of men and things, and the same 
kindly and ubiquitous man of the world ; Monsignor Capel, 
the great Roman Catholic pulpit orator, the original of 
a leading character in " Lothair," and many more scarcely 
less known. 

The progress of this Fund is worth noting if only as an 
example for American editors and their friends. There 
are now nearly fifty thousand dollars safely invested in the 
best securkies, and every annual dinner adds to the sum. 
Among the honorary members are the Prince of Wales and 
many other public men of note. The special object is to 
raise, by subscriptions and bequests from persons connected 
with the press and general literature, and others disposed to 
assist the society, a fund for the relief of journalists in want 
or distress, and for the widows, families, parents, or other 
near relatives of deceased members. Editors, proprietors, 
managers, sub-editors, reviewers, musical, art, and dra- 
matic critics, correspondents, and reporters are eligible to 
membership. Ten guineas, equivalent to fifty dollars in 



NEWSPAPER PRESS FUND DINNER. 



163 



gold, creates an honorary membership. The annual sub- 
scription of a regularly-elected member is one guinea, or 
five dollars and twenty-five cents in gold. There is no 
publication of those who receive assistance from this fund. 
Judging from the deep interest taken in the work of the 
society by many noble persons not connected with news- 
papers, it is quite certain that a large and active co-opera-, 
tion has been secured, and that the aid afforded to aged 
and unfortunate newspaper men is already very substantial. 
Lord Houghton has tntered into the work with character- 
istic enthusiasm, and I find his name down for several large 
contributions. Charles Dickens, before his death, spoke 
of this Fund as follows: "I verily believe that if I had 
never quitted my old calling [that of a newspaper reporter] 
I should have been foremost and zealous in the interests of 
this institution, believing it to be a sound, wholesome, and 
good one." 

The only difficulty in our country in organizing such a 
charity is the danger of its lapsing into disuse ; but the 
peculiar element of the English character is to persevere 
and to maintain a good thing to the end, which is done 
not only by obtaining the names of prominent persons, 
but by gathering into the treasury generous donations from 
the aged rich and frequently by securing liberal bequests. 

London, June, 1875. 



1 64 THE RECORD OFFICE IN LONDON. 



XL I I. 

The Record Office in London. 

In a late visit to that famous institution, " The Record 
Office," between Fetter Lane and Chancery Lane, where 
Great Britain has collected all her public papers, the Domes- 
day Book, which is there preserved, at once attracted my 
attention. It was made by order of William the Con- 
queror, nearly eight hundred years ago, and consists of 
two great volumes, kept in the library in glass cases, under 
lock and key, and wrapped in rich velvet coverings. The 
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle explains the purport of this strange 
book in the following quaint language: 

"At midwinter the King [William] was at Gloucester with his Witan 
[or Parliament], and there held his court five days, and afterwards the 
Archbishop and clergy had a synod three days. . . . After this the 
King had a great council and very deep speech with his Witan about this 
land, how it was peopled, or by what men ; then sent his men over all Eng- 
land, into every shire, and caused to be ascertained how many hides [one 
hundred and twenty acres] were in the shire, or what land the King him- 
self had, and cattle within the land, or what dues he ought to have, in 
twelve months, from the shire. Also, he caused to be written how much 
land his archbishops had, and his suffragan bishops, and his abbots, and 
his earls ; and what or how much each man had, who was a holder of land 
in England, in land or in cattle, and how much money it might be worth. 
So very narrowly he caused it to be traced out that there was not one single 
hide, nor one yard of land, nor even an ox, nor a cow, nor a swine, was 
left that was not set down in his writ." 

A photograph of that part of the Domesday Book de- 
voted to Berkshire, — called the Royal County, because 
Windsor Castle is situated in it, — I destine for and shall 
immediately send to the National Museum in our Inde- 
pendence Hall. This national work is not only a monu- 



THE RECORD OFFICE IN LONDON. ^5 

ment of the sagacity and statesmanship of William the 
Conqueror, but a valuable memorial of many families, 
extant and extinct; yet some survive who may proudly 
claim it as the authentic proof of their direct lineage. 
During the ministry of Mr. Gladstone, arrangements were 
made to photograph these two ancient tomes, and in 1863 
Sir H. James applied the photo-zinco-graphic process and 
produced the fac-similes, a limited number of which are 
now offered for sale. In making these copies the original 
document was not even handled or touched. Each leaf 
of the book wasplaced in succession before the camera by 
the officer of the Public Record Office, in whose charge it 
constantly remains. 

The public records of England are now gathered in 
two hundred and twenty-eight rooms, two hundred of 
which can accommodate nearly half a million cubic feet 
of records ! The charge and superintendence of these 
invaluable documents is vested in the Master of Rolls, Sir 
George Jessel, a Jewish lawyer of very great ability, who 
was Mr. Gladstone's Solicitor-General in 1S71. All records 
that have accumulated for twenty years in the counties or 
towns are delivered for safe-keeping to him. Searches and 
extracts are made on the payment of a small fee, but any 
literary inquirer is permitted to make searches without pay- 
ment. In this overwhelming repository, Lord Macaulay 
obtained much information for his history of England, and 
in 1852 one laborious scholar consulted nearly seven thou- 
sand documents in preparing the history of a single English 
township. 

In one of these rooms is a long parchment roll, com- 
posed of nearly sixty membranes, or sections, being the 
deeds of the Palatinate of Durham. The Feed era, the pub- 
lication of the diplomatic documents of the country, is 
very rare. The royal autograph book contains the earliest 
written treaty known in Europe, which is the treaty of 



1 66 THE RECORD OFFICE IN LONDON. 

peace between Richard I. of England and Baldwin, Earl 
of Flanders, a.d. 1197. This unique book contains one 
of the letters of King Edward IV. and his Council, with 
the signatures of the great men of the time, Richard 
Duke of Gloucester, the Earl of Northampton, Lord Pem- 
broke, Lord Dorset, and others. Here is the first ex- 
ample of a royal signature ever known, that of Richard II. , 
before whose time no King of England could write his 
name. Another exceedingly rare autograph is that of the 
unfortunate Lady Jane Grey, wife of Dudley, who was 
Queen of England only ten days. There is a recipe for 
making " hynke" (ink) about the time of Edward IV., 
and the deputy keeper, Mr. Burtt, informed us that the 
ink in those olden times was far superior to our modern 
preparation. But nothing was more impressive than the 
letter of Richard III. to the Lord Chancellor, with the 
famous postscript in his own handwriting denouncing the 
treason of Buckingham. It is printed in " Ellis's Letters," 
and has been fac-similed. Another celebrated signature is 
that of Lord Hastings, who appears in Bulwer's "Last of 
the Barons," while a very extraordinary specimen of pen- 
flourishes is the autograph of Queen Elizabeth, which 
shows a skilled hand. There are fine examples of the neat, 
straightforward writing of the time of Edward I., in the 
bastard French of that time. 

In a number of thin quarto volumes are preserved the 
treaties of peace between Henry VIII. and Francis II. 
The pages are beautifully illuminated. One illustration 
represents the celebrated meeting on the Field of the Cloth 
of Gold. Here is the Book of Indentures between Henry 
VII. and the Abbots of Westminster and other parties to 
build what is now known as Henry VII. 's Chapel, the most 
beautiful part of Westminster Abbey, for the performance 
of services for the repose of his soul ; and this work ex- 
hibits every element of pomp and style that could be in- 



THE RECORD OFFICE IN LONDON. 167 

vented, from its inception to its completion in the building. 
This chapel is perhaps the most magnificent in England. 
The Book of Ir dentures is wrapped in rich velvet and 
enclosed in a strong box with the seal of the King upon 
the lock, and is said to have cost at least five thousand 
dollars, a great sum in those days. 

The National Museum shall also receive a copy of the 
Great Seal of England, a fine head of Queen Victoria 
forming one impression, sent by Lord Chancellor Cairns 
to General Schenck, the United States minister in London, 
in response to his request. 

An original portrait of Charles II. is lent to the Na- 
tional Museum by Mr. William Thompson, the accomplished 
American consul at Southampton, and a native of Phila- 
delphia. This is a bust-portrait, originally in the collec- 
tion of the late Duke of Buckingham, at Stowe, and 
recently came into the possession of Mr. Thompson. 

As an appropriate pendant to the gift of the British Lord 
Chancellor to the Exhibition, I take from an ancient vol- 
ume now before me a letter from William Penn, in which 
he announced that the Great Seal of England had that day 
been affixed to the royal patent or charter of Pennsylvania, 
under date 4th of March, a.d. 1681. This venerable 
document, which is still preserved, and now hangs in the 
office of the Secretary of State at Harrisburg, is written 
on strong parchment in the old English handwriting, each 
line underscored with red ink and the borders gorgeously 
decorated with heraldic devices. The satisfaction of Penn 
on this occasion, and the delicacy of his feelings with 
regard to the name bestowed on the province, may be seen 
in the following letter to his friend, Robert Turner : 

5th of 1st Mo., 1681. 
Dear Friend : My true love in the Lord s;ilutes thee and dear friends 
thai love tin- Lord's precious truth in those parts. Thine I have, ami for 
my business here, know that after many waitings, watchings, solieitings, 



1 68 THE RECORD OFFICE IN LONDON. 

and disputes in Council, this day my country was confirmed to me under 
the Great Seal of England, with large powers and privileges, by the name 
of Pennsylvania : a name the King would give it in honor of my father. I 
chose New Wales, being, as this, a pretty hilly country, but Penn being 
Welsh for a head, as Penmanmoire in Wales, and Penrith in Cumberland, 
and Penn in Buckinghamshire, the highest land in England, called this 
Pennsylvania, which is the high or head woodlands ; for I proposed, when the 
Secretary, a Welshman, refused to have it called New Wales, Sylvania, and 
they added Penn to it ; and though I much opposed it, and went to the 
King to have it struck out and altered, he said it was past, and would take 
it upon him ; nor could twenty guineas move the Under Secretary to vary 
the name, for I feared lest it should be looked on as a vanity in me, and 
not as a respect in the King, as it truly was to my father, whom he often 
mentions with praise. Thou mayest communicate my grant to Friends and 
expect shortly my proposals. 

It is a clear and just thing, and my God that has given it me through 
many difficulties, will, I believe, bless and make it the seed of a nation. I 
shall have a tender care to the government, that it be well laid at first. No 
more now, but dear love in the truth. Thy true friend, 

William Penn. 

The royal patent or charter of Pennsylvania consists of 
twenty-three articles, and is too long for insertion here, 
but the short preamble is worth transcribing. It declares 
that William Penn's application for the territory arose out 
of " a commendable desire to enlarge the British Empire, 
and promote such useful commodities as may be a benefit 
to the King and his dominions ; and also to reduce the 
savage nations by just and gentle manners to the love of 
civil society and the Christian religion." 

Nor would this triple chapter of history be complete 
without the letter of William Penn to the inhabitants of 
Pennsylvania, dated " London, 8th of the month called 
April, 16S1:" 

My FRIENDS : I wish you all happiness here and hereafter. These are 
to let you know that it hath pleased God, in His providence, to cast you 
within my lot and care. It is a business that, though I never undertook 
before, yet God hath given me an understanding of my duty, and an honest 
mind to do it uprightly. I hope you will not be troubled af your change, 
and the King's choice, for you are now fixed at the mercy of no governor 



THE PEABODY BUILDINGS. 169 

that comes to make his fortune great; you shall be governed by laws of 
your own making, and live a free, an J, if you will, a sober aiui industrious 
people. I shall not usurp the right of any, or oppress his person. God 
has furnished me with a better resolution, and has given me his grace to 
keep it. In short, whatever sober and free men can reasonably desire for 
the security and improvement of their own happiness, I shall heartily com- 
ply with, and in five months resolve, if it please God, to see you. In the 
mean time, pray submit to the commands of my deputy, so far as they 
are consistent with the law, and pay him those dues (that formerly you paid 
to the order of the Governor of New York) for my use and benefit; and 
so I wish God to direct you in the way of righteousness, and therein pros- 
per you and your children after you. 

I am your true friend, 

William Penn. 

History, which teaches by example, as the philosopher 
tells us, has never had a field, at least in modern days, like 
that opening before us next year, and whether we look 
back or forecast the future with the aid of such lights as 
these three mementos, we shall write a page in the great 
volume of human experience in 1S76 that will surprise and 
elevate the world. 

London, June, 1875. 



XLIII. 

The Peabody Buildings. 



I have visited the new Peabody Buildings in company 
with Sir Curtis Lampson, one of the original trustees. On 
the 25th of May, 1S67, I saw, under the guidance of this 
same gentleman, the first of these splendid edifices for the- 
accommodation of the industrious poor of London, and 
the difference of eight years was a very great surprise. For 
order, cleanliness, and beauty of the several squares that 
have since growl) up, the happiness and comfort of the in- 
mates prove that the munificent plan of Mr. Peabody has 
h 15 



170 



THE PEABODY BUILDINGS. 



been faithfully carried out by the trustees. I cannot better 
illustrate the amazing growth of this almost royal benevo- 
lence than by the " Report of the Trustees of the Peabody 
Donation Fund for 1874." Ponder these figures carefully, 
and you realize the unspeakable benefaction that an Amer- 
ican citizen has conferred upon the poor of London : 

The trustees of the Peabody Donation Fund submit to the public a re- 
port of their proceedings and financial statement for the year ending the 
31st of December, 1874. 

As stated in the last report, the amount of the fund on the 31st of De- 
cember, 1873, was .£578,059 9s. 5d. To this sum has been added, from 
rents and interest on investments during the past year, £15,568 8s. 2d., 
making the total fund on the 31st of December last, £593.627 17s. 7d., as 
shown in the annexed statements of accounts. 

During the year the trustees have spent in the purchase of land and 
the erection of buildings the sum of ,£80,223 7 s - 3d., and the whole amount 
thus expended since the creation of the trust has been ^380,284 19s. 7d., 
leaving ^213,342 18s. available for future operations. 

The two new blocks of buildings at Blackfriars, alluded to in the report 
for 1873, are now occupied by forty-four families. 

The new buildings in Duke Street and Stamford Street, with accommo- 
dation for three hundred and fifty-two families, are completed, and will be 
ready for occupation in April next ; and the six new blocks in East Lane 
Bermondsey, for seventy-two families, will be opened during the summer. 
Before the close of the year the trustees will have accommodation for thir- 
teen hundred and seventy-six families. 

Considerable progress has been made in the erection of twelve new 
blocks of buildings on the Southwark Street site, which will contain two 
hundred and sixty-four separate tenements, but these will not be ready 
for occupation until 1876. 

The number of families in residence at the end of the year was nine 
hundred and fifty-four, consisting of three thousand eight hundred and 
fifteen individuals — an average of four persons to each family. The aver- 
age weekly wages of the head of each family was £1 3s. 3d., varying from 
£1 os. 6d. at Chelsea, to £1 4s. 2d. at Spitalfields and Blackfriars. The 
average rent of each dwelling was 3s. nd. per week, and that of each room 
is. iod. No charge is made for water; and the weekly rent includes the 
use of bath-room and laundry. 

The net returns from all the buildings now opened show an income of 
£6426 12s. 8d. per annum, being at the rate of 2J per cent, upon the capi- 
tal expended. 



VISIT TO THE EMPRESS EUGENIE. 



171 



The trustees have pleasure in stating that the buildings last erected not 
only give to the tenants greater conveniences and larger rooms, but return 
a higher percentage upon the outlay than those first built. 

In consequence of scarlet fever having been so extensively prevalent 
during a portion of the past year in the east of London, the number of 
deaths in the buildings at Shadwell was beyond that of any previous year; 
but notwithstanding this the death-rate in the whole of the buildings taken 
together was only 23 per 1000; but omitting Shadwell, the death-rate in 
the other buildings was as low as 17.4 per 1000. 

London, June, 1875. 



XL IV. 

Visit to the Empress Eugenie. 

Chiselhurst (Kent) is a lovely village, with a popula- 
tion of three thousand three hundred, about forty minutes 
by rail from Charing Cross. You can walk from the sta- 
tion, if the weather is fine, to Camden House, the English 
residence of Eugenie, ex-Empress of the French; but as 
the day was gloomy we drove over in a fly, and reached 
the outer gate in about twenty minutes. As we were ex- 
pected, we had not long to wait before our presentation. 
Camden House, the residence of her Majesty, was chosen 
after she had landed at Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, on the 
9th of September, 1870, having escaped from Paris in the 
midst of the Revolution on the 4th of the same month. 
Her passage over the Channel was in itself a romance. 
The mansion is of three stories, built of dark stone beau- 
tifully inlaid with white, with two wings, and is handsomely 
located in a fine park. 

We were conducted by a chamberlain from the anteroom 
into the drawing-room, where the Empress received us, 
and I was immediately impressed by her exceeding grace 
and beauty. Time has dealt very gently with her. Born 



172 



VISIT TO THE EMPRESS EUGENIE. 



May 5, 1826, she lately entered into her fiftieth year, but 
does not look forty, and she seemed in better health and 
wore a brighter aspect than when I saw her in the Paris 
Palace of Industry on the 2d of July, 1867, when the Em- 
peror Napoleon distributed the prizes to the successful com- 
petitors at the Universal Exposition of that year. She was 
dressed in deep mourning, without the slightest ornament, 
and, speaking English perfectly, she opened the conversa- 
tion and asked questions without reserve in regard to our 
International Centennial Exhibition. I described the ex- 
tent of Fairmount Park, the several groups of buildings 
now in course of construction, the amount of money raised, 
the action of the National Government, and the visit of 
r the President of the United States. Here she quietly in- 
terrupted me by stating that she had read with great pleas- 
ure the statement of his visit and of his satisfaction at the 
progress of the work. She seemed to be anxious to know 
whether any of the French princes had been invited, and 
I told her Majesty that the President of the United States 
had simply invited existing governments, and that none of 
the royal princes of any country had been specially asked. 
To her question whether I thought the Prince Imperial 
would be well received, I ventured to express the opinion 
that his welcome would be most cordial, and' that our people 
held the fact in grateful remembrance that to the statesman 
ship and liberality of the First Napoleon we were indebted 
for the acquisition of the valuable territory of Louisiana, 
and that this, together with the recollection of French 
sympathy during our struggle for independence, was one 
of the most cherished of our national reminiscences. I 
ran over the list of the governments that had made prepar- 
ations to be present next year. Alluding to the subject 
of free-trade, which she said she did not feel herself com- 
petent to discuss, she gracefully intimated that she thought 
some provision should b made by which thedelicate fab- 



VISIT TO THE EMPRESS EUGENIE. 



173 



rics of France might have a partial drawback, when sold 
in America, on account of the necessary deterioration of 
the goods from exposure in a sea-voyage, and the changes 
constantly taking place in fashionable attire. 

The gentleman who kindly accompanied and introduced 
me, our good friend, the Chevalier VVikoff, inquired for the 
Prince Imperial, when we were informed that he was with 
his battery at the military camp at Aldershot, and she 
regretted that he was not present in order that he might 
participate in the conversation. before retiring I ex- 
pressed the hope that her Majesty would send us some 
token of the interest she manifested in the Exhibition, 
to which she responded by saying, "Ah! what have I to 
send? What can I send? I am here simply the tenant of 
another's house ; all you see about me I have no control 
over." But I am not without hope that the suggestion 
will bear good fruit ; and on renewing the request that 
she might consent to let her son come to America next 
year she said, " I fear that is impossible. I should like 
myself to be present in Philadelphia; I have always felt 
the greatest interest in the United States. But we are 
the creatures of circumstances; we cannot tell what may 
transpire to-day, or to-morrow, or a icw months hence" — 
evidently referring to political contingencies. Just as she 
was bidding us adieu I placed in her hand one of the large 
lithographs of the Main Exposition Building, and since my 
return to London have forwarded her the last publication 
by the Centennial Commissioners containing engravings of 
the other edifices. 

It is impossible to convey an idea of the winning grace 
and candor of this lovely lady; I should rather say cor- 
diality than candor; nor would the word "dignity" fairly 
typify the peculiar charm alike of her manner and her con- 
versation. She talks fluently, articulates her words clearly, 
and surprised me by her stores of information, showing 

15* 



i74 



VISIT TO THE EMPRESS EUGENIE. 



that she was a close reader and thinker. Others were wait- 
ing in the anteroom as we passed out into the park, and 
on our road to the station I did not hesitate to give utter- 
ance to my satisfaction at one of the most delightful inter- 
views of my life. A republican myself, more so now than 
ever, I could easily perceive the great influence she exer- 
cised over her husband. 

The Empress Eugenie continues to enjoy in her exile 
the warm friendship of Queen Victoria, with whom she 
frequently interchanges visits. She is everywhere called 
the Empress, not the ex-Empress, and receives royal honors. 
Within the last two weeks she visited, in company with the 
royal family, the camp at Aldershot, and saw her son taking 
part in the great review which attracted so much attention. 
Whatever may be her fate hereafter, she will ever be an 
object of deep interest, as she has always enjoyed unbounded 
popularity for the purity of her life, her charity, and mu- 
nificence. It will never be forgotten that during the preva- 
lence of the cholera in France, she everywhere visited the 
hospitals, utterly regardless of danger. Her name will live 
in history as one of the most successful and accomplished 
women of her age. France is, I think, at this moment, 
passing under the republican form of government. The 
moderation of the Republican leaders is not less apparent 
than their unity and determination, and while the Empress 
Eugenie would undoubtedly add new lustre to the position 
of Dowager Empress of France should her son ascend the 
throne of his father, yet I think a safer, if not a more bril- 
liant, destiny would be that retirement in private life in 
which, while she may not be surrounded by as many flat- 
terers as she would find in Paris, she would certainly escape 
the always present danger that hedges around the occupant 
of imperial power among that changeful and volatile people. 

London, July, 1S75. 



CHATHAM DOCK-YARD. 



«75 



XLV. 

Chatham Dock-yard. — British Iron-clads. 

In company with Messrs. Cramp, the well-known ship- 
builders of Philadelphia, I have paid a long-desired visit 
to the celebrated Chatham Dock-yard and work-shops, dis- 
tant about an hour and thirty minutes from London. It is 
not easy to secure admission to this famous institution, 
England is not one of the Powers that publish their inven- 
tions in gunnery and preparations for war, and for the ob- 
vious reason that they do not desire to be copied or to be 
advertised. When the hour of conflict comes she is 
always "ready." These great docks, so called, and the 
shops with which they are connected, now entirely de- 
voted to the construction of the iron-clad navy of England, 
are admitted to be the most extensive in the world. They 
are situated near the town of Chatham, on the Medway, a 
tidal river. 

There are four wet-docks, built out of solid stone, massive 
and grand indeed ; the tidal basin, the largest, being four 
hundred by ninety-six feet. The Rupert, an iron ram, was 
in dock as we passed, a magnificent and colossal mass of 
guns and armor-plates, looking a true thunder-bearer. It 
belongs to the second class; its armor is twelve inches thick 
on the breastwork and twelve to fourteen inches on the 
turret ; its armament is two eighteen-ton guns. The ram, 
its main feature, has its sharp point eight feet below the 
water-line and twelve feet in advance of the upright por- 
tion of the stem. It makes fifteen knots an hour, and is 
intended for quick work, like the ram which played such 
havoc with the Union fleet at Hampton Roads in 1S62. 



1 7 6 CHA THA M DOCK- YARD. 

The Temeraire, another of these fast rams, was still on the 
stocks; horse-power, nine thousand; eight, guns, four of 
them of twenty-five tons ; nine-inch armor — a terrible 
machine. The Alexandra, also in the dock ; horse-power, 
nine thousand; armament, like the Temeraire; recently 
launched by the Princess of Wales, after whom she is 
named. Two other high-speeded vessels were finishing, 
each with eighteen sixty-four-pounder.s. 

Standing on the main deck of the Alexandra, we looked 
out upon the busy scene — in one respect at least not unlike 
the sight that met my eyes two years ago, when I visited 
League Island, near Philadelphia, the iron-clad navy depot 
of our own country ; only this was the work of years, begun 
in the reign of Elizabeth, when the "wooden walls" of 
England terrified the world and swept the seas; now, 
wholly given up to iron-clad monitors and rams. The 
outlook was wonderful. The ships in ordinary, in dock, 
and in repair; the mighty ship-houses; the rope-house, 
eleven hundred and forty feet long and fifty feet wide, 
where cables two feet in girth and seven hundred feet in 
length are made ; the mammoth saw-mills, erected by the 
elder Brunei, with eight saw-frames, for one to thirty saws, 
impelled by a mammoth engine, capable of eighty revolu- 
tions of the saws in a minute, and slicing and shaping the 
giant trees of Norway with lightning quickness; the smith- 
shops, with forty forges, where anchors are made; the mast- 
house, two hundred feet long; then the rolling-mills, where 
iron plates twelve inches thick are made for these grim 
monsters ; the engine-house, etc. 

So vast is this depository that the men are conveyed to 
and from work by rail, and the officers visit and superin- 
tend their post in dummies, which skim along the level 
roads with the silent velocity of fireflies. The Royal Ma- 
rine Barracks are here, and officers and men were on parade 
as we passed in and out. I did not stop to ask how many 



BRITISH IR ON- CLADS. 



177 



workmen were employed in the docks, and shops, and ships 
— that might have seemed impertinent. 

The present iron-clad navy of Great Britain, used for 
the defence of her own coast and colonies, and for visiting 
different portions of the globe, consists of sixty-two ves- 
sels, divided into seven classes, viz. : Four first class, — the 
Devastation, two hundred and eighty-six feet long, sixty- 
two feet in extreme breadth ; the Thunderer, about the 
same size; the Inflexible and Fury, fourteen hundred 
tons larger; all nearly iron-clad, capable of immense 
resistance and of throwing metal of enormous weight to 
a great distance. Second class, — the rams Rupert and 
Hotspur. Third class, — nine mastless turret-ships for 
coast defence, heavily armored, and armed with twelve- 
ton guns. Fourth class, — five first-rate iron ships for 
cruising, of the Temeraire and Alexandra style. Fifth class, 
— ten second-rate iron ships, with twelve-ton guns behind 
six-inch armor. Sixth class, — seventeen third-class, same 
armor and armament, and capable of great speed. Seventh 
class, — eleven iron-clads for coast defence. I have not 
deemed it necessary to add the numerous iron -armored 
and wooden vessels to this list, nor several floating bat- 
teries. This naval force is continually being added to, 
and it is estimated that from fifteen to twenty millions of 
dollars in gold are annually spent in keeping this vast iron 
fleet in repair. Of course an emergency will increase this 
outlay. Much may be said for such busy and expensive 
preparations by the English. Apart from the plea that 
they must not be caught napping, the fact that hundreds 
of thousands of persons are kept employed in the various 
establishments, military and naval, who must otherwise be 
without work, and therefore full of idle mischief, is a great 
point. Whatever may be said of our own country, Europe 
is not in a condition to disarm. On all sides we read of 
new inventions in gunnery, new experiments in firing, new 

H* 



xyS RELICS OF EARLY LONDON. 

torpedoes, massive armies, and powerful navies. A spark 
may explode the magazine, and Great Britain had far better 
be in a situation to defend herself and to protect others 
than to be found a prey to neglect in the hour of revolu- 
tion from within or invasion from without. 
London, June, 1875. 



XLVI. 

Relics of Early London. 



The National Safe Deposit building, at the Mansion 
House, London, was lately opened, with fitting ceremonial, 
in the presence of a distinguished party, by Mr. Puleston, 
M.P., chairman of the Company which owns and has had 
it constructed. The Safe Deposit Company was organ- 
ized upon the idea of the "Fidelity" in Philadelphia, and 
the vast building is an elaborated extension of the noble 
structures of the same class of which several are now in 
Philadelphia. Nowhere in the world is such a place of 
security so needed as in London. The things lost or 
stolen in this human hive are countless. A few months 
ago jewels worth a quarter of a million of dollars were 
stolen from Lord Dudley at one of the railroad stations, 
and our countrywoman, Mrs. Paran Stevens, has just been 
robbed, by her French maid, of diamonds and valuables 
estimated at seventy-five thousand dollars. 

In the heavy excavations necessary to establish the 
foundations of this massive edifice, the Company's work- 
men came upon a perfect mine of Roman antiquities. It 
is a strange fact that as modern enterprise was preparing 
to preserve the wealth of the present age, deep down in 
the earth were discovered the. proofs of the riches of Lon- 
don nineteen hundred years ago. The Romans remained 



RELICS OF EARLY LONDON. 



179 



masters of England for over four hundred years, and 
the grandeur of Britain began with their occupation. 
Those who trod the Old World twenty centuries since lie 
in dust, but many of their works and weapons of war 
survive in the midst of their own ashes, and modern Lon- 
don overlays a perfect storehouse of antique mementos. 
Mr. Puleston found these eloquent revelations of the past 
so many and so valuable that he has based an essay upon 
them crowded with useful information. What his workmen 
threw up has been utilized wonderfully by his graceful pen, 
so that in his Report you fairly see the Romans in their 
London homes, and it is with an odd feeling that you find 
the likeness between their ways and ours. Nearly twenty 
centuries have elapsed since they lived and died like us; 
not, indeed, with all our conveniences and comforts, but in 
many things using the exact originals from which we have 
copied in England and America. There are no signs of 
steam and electricity and the wonders born of these twin 
genii, but there is enough to show that we have not risen 
too high or gone too fast to discard the experience of 
these men of the vanished centuries. Among the relics 
discovered in the excavations prior to laying the founda- 
tions of the splendid edifice were the following: 

Red glazed pottery, of beautiful forms, mostly in bowl 
shape, beautifully decorated with figures of birds and ani- 
mals and foliage. The variety seems to be very large. 

Roman-British specimens, chiefly urns, exactly like those 
now in use. 

An immense quantity of stylii, the instruments with which 
the Romans wrote on their tablets. 

A variety of knives and daggers, with handles and rings 
to hold or hang up by. 

Keys and bolts of every description, made different from 
those in modern use, but very like in form. 

Bronze ornaments for the person, brooches, and toilette 



T So canine exhibition. 

bijouterie ; some are enameled. Also the pins for fasten- 
ing garments, now in use ; seals, lockets, tweezers, hair- 
pins, etc. 

Bronze egg-spoons, chain-work, etc. 

Coins, brass and copper, of which there are seventy 
specimens, proving the other discoveries by their dates 
and vignettes. 

Many miscellaneous objects, — fragments of glass, wooden 
spindles, horse gear, chisels and other tools of iron, and 
a lot of leather work, with sandals and shoes resembling 
what we wear to-day. 

Mr. Puleston closes his sketch as follows: "If in the 
small area occupied by the premises of the National Safety 
Deposit Company it has been possible to bring together so 
many illustrations of the early occupation of our city, who 
can say what yet remains beneath the surface of adjacent 
sites to corroborate or correct opinions which have been 
expressed by past and present writers on the history of 
Roman London ?" 

London, July, 1875. 



XLVII. 



Canine Exhibition. — Home for Dogs. — Edwin Forrest's " Dog of Mon- 

targis." 

The apparent scarcity of wandering dogs in the streets 
of London surprises many an American. Constantinople 
is said to be the dog-heaven, and there is no feature in the 
towns of the United States more unpleasant than the mul- 
titudinous canine population, and the consequent hydro- 
phobic panic every summer. In England, however, there 
is a systematic effort to improve the canine species, and the 
result is their marked absence from the highways. There 



CANINE EXHIBITION. 181 

is not quite as much care taken, perhaps, in the rearing of 
dogs as in the breeding of horses, cows, sheep, and other 
valuable animals, but when you are told that an exhibition 
of dogs at the Crystal Palace is one of the most attractive 
of the present attractions of that brilliant resort, you will 
understand that the system has become a sort of commerce, 
and that large sums of money are paid for the different 
varieties. The published report of the grand national ex- 
hibition of sporting and other dogs at the Crystal Palace 
on the first four days of June of this year is a singular 
document. 

Among the bloodhounds which belong to the first class 
the price of the dog called " Rival," three years and nine 
months old, was five hundred pounds, and that of " Rolla," 
one year and eleven months old, five hundred guineas. 
Among the mastiffs, the price of the "Champion Turk," 
seven years and three months old, the dog that has won 
more than thirty first prizes and cups and is of immense 
size, is five thousand pounds (twenty-five thousand dollars), 
while that of the mastiff named "Granby," which won 
the first medals for 1874 at the Crystal Palace, for the same 
year at Northampton, and for the years 1873-74 at Ports- 
mouth, an animal nearly as large as a lion, is ten thousand 
pounds sterling or fifty thousand dollars ! The price of the 
mastiff known as "Duchess" is one thousand pounds ster- 
ling, while in a list of one hundred and seventy-one of the 
same breed there are four at one thousand pounds, six at 
five hundred pounds, two at three hundred pounds, six at 
two hundred and fifty pounds, nine at one hundred pounds, 
ten at fifty pounds, and the remainder varying in price 
from twenty pounds to five pounds. Some of the mastiff 
puppies commanded prices ranging from one hundred 
pounds to twenty.-five pounds. Several of the St. Bernard 
rough-coat dogs were held at two thousand pounds apiece, 
one at one thousand pounds, and a number more from three 

16 



1 82 CANINE EXHIBITION. 

hundred to twenty pounds. The St. Bernard puppies 
brought from twenty guineas down to ten. One Newfound- 
land dog brought one thousand pounds, one five hundred 
pounds, some one hundred pounds, and several as low as 
twenty pounds. The prices of the deerhounds ranged 
from five hundred pounds to one hundred pounds. Of the 
greyhounds, "St. Patrick" and " Warwick" were each held 
at five thousand pounds, and "Lauderdale," "Queen 
Bertha," and " Bit of Fun" at one thousand pounds each; 
"Black Beauty" at five hundred pounds. Ten of the 
pointers brought one thousand pounds each, a number five 
hundred pounds, and others one hundred pounds and 
fifty pounds. Among the setters I counted a large number 
held at one thousand pounds each, and one, aged five 
years, was labelled ten thousand pounds sterling. I 
counted six retrievers at one thousand pounds each, and 
very many from five hundred pounds to one hundred and 
fifty pounds. Among the Irish water-spaniels, " Shamrock" 
was held at one thousand pounds, the others at prices rang- 
ing from one hundred pounds to fifty pounds. Six of the 
spaniels were labelled for sale at one thousand pounds each, 
two or three five hundred pounds, and a large variety from 
five hundred pounds to two hundred pounds. Ten pounds 
was regarded as a very reasonable charge. There were 
two hounds at five hundred pounds each. The beagles, not 
exceeding fifteen inches high, ranged from one hundred 
pounds to twenty pounds. There were nearly two hundred 
fox-terriers, held at extraordinary rates, at least half a dozen 
at one thousand pounds, and about twenty at five hundred 
pounds, the others ranging from one hundred pounds to 
fifty pounds, twenty pounds, ten pounds, and five pounds. 
The sheep-dogs were also very high, a dozen commanding 
one thousand pounds each, and others five hundred pounds, 
very few running as low as twenty pounds. A Dalmatian, 
known as " Crib," nine years old, was held at ten thou- 



CANINE EXHIBITION. 



183 



sand pounds sterling! Another, called "Sancho," three 
years and five months old, price six hundred pounds. The 
bull-dogs ranged from two hundred and fifty pounds to 
twenty-five pounds. One bull-terrier, "Young Puss," was 
held at one thousand pounds sterling; another, belonging 
to the same owner, at the same price. This seemed to be 
a favorite breed. Many commanded one hundred pounds 
each, and a few ran as low as five pounds. Black-and-tan 
terriers exceeding fourteen pounds weight commanded one 
hundred pounds each, very few as low as five pounds. One 
of the drop-eared blue Skye terriers, named "Sam," was 
held at ten thousand pounds sterling ! There was a Dandy 
Dinmont terrier, called " Toper," price one thousand 
pounds, and another called " Macbeth," price five hundred 
pounds — general rates from fifty pounds to five pounds. A 
Yorkshire terrier called "Mozart," price one thousand 
pounds. The Bedlington terriers commanded from one 
hundred pounds to five pounds; of one species called 
" Dachshund," black and tan, three commanded one thou- 
sand pounds, and the rest rated from one hundred pounds 
down to five pounds. There was a white Pomeranian, six 
months old, named "Tory," price one thousand pounds. 
The pug dogs were held at from one thousand pounds; 
"Tomahawk," at five hundred pounds; several at one 
hundred pounds, and a number at from sixty pounds to 
ten pounds. One of these pugs, named "Chung," six 
years and eight months old, was held at ten thousand 
pounds sterling. Maltese dogs, several at one hundred 
pounds, two at fifty pounds, three at twenty pounds. King 
Charles spaniels, from one hundred pounds to ten pounds. 
Italian greyhounds, two hundred pounds, one hundred and 
fifteen pounds, and fifty pounds each. Toy terriers, smooth- 
haired, not exceeding five pounds weight, commanded as 
high as from three hundred pounds to two hundred pounds 
apiece, some one hundred pounds, and a large number fifty 



!84 HOME FOR DOGS. 

pounds, thirty pounds, and twenty pounds. The sporting 
puppies were held at a charge of about five pounds each ; 
non -sporting puppies, twenty guineas, ten guineas, and five 
guineas. An immense assortment of harriers was exhib- 
ited, but they were so valuable as not to be offered for sale. 
Many of these were owned by clergymen. The Prince 
and Princess of Wales, and most of the nobility, figured 
largely in the catalogue as owners. There have also been 
dog-shows in Ireland, the west of England, and other 
places, very attractive and successful. 

If the aggregate of money spent upon pet dogs could be 
faithfully set forth, it would startle many. As you walk the 
streets of London you see hundreds of thousands of these 
little animals carried or led by ladies, and it is a common 
thing, as the nobility and gentry ride along in their splen- 
did equipages, to see a variety of spaniels and poodles 
resting on the costly cushions. Some of these pets are not 
much larger than a cotton- or snow-ball, and with their fine, 
fleecy covering, nothing else visible save their black, piercing 
eyes, they present a laughable appearance. 

In this connection the Temporary Home for Lost and 
Starving Dogs, in Battersea Park, is worthy of notice. A 
humane nobleman, the Marquis Townshend, is President of 
this organization ; and the treasurer's report shows an 
annual expenditure of over two thousand pounds (ten 
thousand dollars) for wages, food, medicine, printing, and 
interest on mortgage. In order to remove any induce- 
ment for dog-stealing no fee is paid on the delivery of lost 
or starving canines at the Home, the chief reliance being 
upon the duty and humanity of the police. There is a 
large list of donations and legacies, many of the former 
being from anonymous hands. This establishment was 
established in i860 by the late Mrs. Tealby, who, although 
not possessed of large means, was its unwearied benefac- 
tress. The late Mrs. John Hamilton left a legacy to the 



HOME FOR DOGS. 185 

institution of a thousand pounds, and others are following 
her example. Thirty-two hundred dogs were last year 
either restored to their former owners or sent to new homes, 
being an increase of ten hundred and ninety-four over the 
previous year. After being kept for three days the keeper 
is empowered to dispose of inmates of the Home either by 
death or sale, but they are usually kept in their pens for a 
week, and sometimes much longer. Prussic acid is used to 
poison them, which by its almost instantaneous effect is 
considered the most humane method. The Home affords 
accommodation for six hundred dogs, although there are 
not usually more than half that number. All brought in 
during one day are put into a double pen, with a yard for 
exercise, and small cells are provided for special cases, such 
as quarrelsome or afflicted dogs. It is a singular fact that 
among thousands of dogs brought into the Home there 
has been no case of hydrophobia, which is attributable, no 
doubt, to the absence of excessive heat in this moderate 
climate. 

A dog-show during our Centennial Exhibition would be 
an attractive feature. Our Western and Southern people 
might teach their British cousins some new things in canine 
culture. The dog has been the subject of prose and poetry, 
of the pencil of the painter and the chisel of the sculptor, 
from Walter Scott to Byron, and from Landseer to Foley. 
Gradually these English habits are creeping into our Ameri- 
can civilization, and I have known men to become as ex- 
cited over a good hunter and women to fall into as many 
ecstasies over a beautiful poodle in Philadelphia and New 
York, as the descendants of their more ancient ancestors 
in London. Edwin Forrest had a peculiar fondness for 
this animal. As you ascended the main stairway of his 
residence in Philadelphia, you faced on the first landing 
the painting of the "Dog of Montargis," which he habit- 
ually characterized to his visitors as a portrait of the best 

16* 



1 86 FOURTH OF JULY IN LONDON. 

friend he ever had in the world — the friend which had fol- 
lowed him in the varying and trying fortunes of his early 
life, and more than once played with him on the boards of 
the Western towns when he acted the character in that now 
almost forgotten melodrama. He has gone to his long 
home, and yet I have no doubt that this expression of a 
brilliant but not happy life will often be recalled by men 
who have passed through the same sad experience. 
London, July, 1875. 



XLVIII. 

Fourth of July in London. — Journalism. — Political Aspect. 

Far and wide the proceedings of a great American fete 
at the Crystal Palace, in honor of "Independence Day," 
have been published in Europe. Even the most critical 
and sardonic journals have not found fault. All the Lon- 
don dailies made full and favorable reports. . The discre- 
tion of our chairman, the American minister, General 
Schenck — the genial welcome of Mr. McCullagh Torrens, 
M.P. from Pimlico, in his reply to "Great Britain and 
the United States" — the manly impromptu answer of Gen- 
eral Lucius Fairchild to "Concord at home and abroad" 
— have touched the English tortoise with a coal of living 
fire. Many prominent English people were present, and 
delighted. I sat near a bevy of British cousins, and noted 
their surprised pleasure. Brother Jonathan has a character 
here for gush and brag which he does not deserve. He is 
advertised as a loud fellow, clad in a coat of stars, striped 
breeches, and an American eagle for a hat ; and when he 
gets up to speak our quiet relations generally expect an 
explosion. At the Crystal Palace dinner there was every 



METROPOLITAN JOURNALISM. 187 

possible temptation to do his worst. He did not yield to 
it, but did his best. Easy, natural, unaffected, and candid, 
without rudeness, Jonathan captured all hands and dis- 
armed criticism. There was no sensibility, and no boast- 
ing, and the result is a harvest of the kindliest memories. 

I have seen a good many of the English country papers 
since our Independence fete, and they all speak in one 
kindly tone. Have you any idea of the number of British 
newspapers and periodicals? Let me tell you that there 
are in London alone twenty-four dailies, two hundred and 
ninety weeklies, fourteen fortnightlies, and four hundred 
and sixty-four monthlies. From this one fact you can 
realize the character of a metropolis which compresses 
within twenty miles about four millions of people, almost 
the population of Pennsylvania. These various papers 
serve to illustrate the ideas at work in these four mil- 
lions of minds. There are four American papers : the 
Anglo-American Times, the Cosmopolitan, the American 
Traveller, and the American Press. Then we have at 
least one hundred and fifty religious, twenty devoted to 
sports of all kinds, twenty-five to finance, eighteen to chil- 
dren, twenty to science, five to architecture, four to the 
army and the navy, thirteen to farming and horticulture, 
ten to art, eighteen to law and medicine, five to ultra-lib- 
eral or republican ideas, one to matrimony, eight to foreign 
affairs, three to butchers, five to fashion, six to temperance, 
ten illustrated, five to Jews, one to tailors, two to homoe- 
opathy, besides a number devoted to every sort of scheme 
and theme. I should say there are hundreds of papers 
printed in London not included in this list. 

You will observe the large proportion of religious pub- 
lications. Here you have the better inner view of England. 
It is an intensely Biblical country. Divided into many- 
sects, each with its peculiar tenet, there is a constant 
reaching for theological literature, especially among the 



1 88 POLITICAL ASPECT OF EUROPE. 

Protestants. The Established Church prints enormously, 
but the Dissenters literally devour religious books and news- 
papers. When you recollect that there are eleven millions 
who do not belong to the Established Church in England 
and Wales alone, and that the adhering membership of the 
Established Church in England and Wales is not thirteen 
millions, you will see that this dissenting element is some- 
thing of a power in itself. 

Many people distress themselves about a "certain war" 
in Europe, and even in Parliament the declaration is com- 
mon that the Continent is " an armed camp." The shadow 
of a religious conflict, growing out of the supposed preten- 
sions of the Catholics and their eagerness to recover their 
lost temporalities, is offensively pushed into the foreground 
of this discussion. I do not know — I cannot forecast a 
future which disturbs so many strong minds; which has 
enchained Mr. Gladstone and Cardinal Manning ; which 
commands the attention of Bismarck in Germany, absorbs 
Gambetta and Buffet and Rouher in France. These are 
serious and sincere men, who have no motive but justice 
to their several constituencies. Yet all of them anticipate 
a religious war in Europe. Mr. Gladstone and his party 
evidently think the Pope stands ready to embroil Europe 
in a deadly struggle to recover his lost political prestige. 
Bismarck denounces the German Catholics as the enemies 
of Germanic order. The Cardinals at Rome appear to 
think that the world is given over to Satan, because they 
have been forced to part with political authority. 

Admitting the perfect candor of these learned pundits, 
what remains? What remains to the American who sits 
in the upper tier of this vast world's theatre and calmly 
watches the actors below? He may feel deeply mortified 
at many things in his own country. He may see that while 
the United States is only too glad to wash its daily dirty 
linen in public, England takes care to push hers into the 



POLITICAL ASPECT. 1 89 

closets of her confidential loyalty. He can take to him- 
self a supreme and sufficient compensation. His own 
country does not sleep on its arms, fearing a sudden sur- 
prise from ambitious neighbors. The Pope could proclaim 
infallibility from Washington without harm. Our people 
would greet his Eminence with a politic enthusiasm only 
less than that they would extend to Garibaldi. The ex- 
iled Prince Imperial of France would be as welcome as the 
Liberal leader Gambetta ; and the Prince of Wales would 
be hailed with an outburst as expressive as that which would 
be extended to John Bright. We may not, perhaps, be as 
courtly as our friends abroad, but we need no armies to 
keep the peace with our neighbors, no navies to protect our 
waters from suppositious foes, nor censor to correct the 
press. This is a great deal to say. I confess I am not 
quite so sure about the way we shall manage our millions 
next year. Whether we shall be able to feed and house 
them as they will deserve and desire, and whether we shall 
be altogether adjusted for our general obligation and op- 
portunity, I trust to that same good Providence that has 
carried us through -so far. Henry V. said to the French 
Princess Katharine, after he had captured the French pro- 
vinces, while he was laying siege to her heart, that "Nice 
customs courtesy to great Kings." So, perhaps, our plain 
American sovereigns may make a new road for us through 
our next year's difficulties. At least we can imitate the 
best which ancient nations have learned through their cen- 
turies. What, indeed, would the world be without the 
great right of copying after those who have gone before us? 
London, July, 1875. . 



190 



THE STREETS OF LONDON. 



XLIX. 

The Streets of London. — Ancient and Modern Lighting of a City. 

Philadelphia is peculiarly fortified in her eight hundred 
miles of city railroads, notwithstanding the objections that 
have been raised to the increase of these modern highways; 
and yet this fact, however consoling, must be discounted 
by the condition of many of the streets through which 
they run. So much has been lately done by Philadelphia, 
burdened though she has been by business perplexities and 
heavy taxes, that the hope may be fondly cherished that 
she will not neglect the supreme duty of repairing and 
improving her public roads. The streets of London, their 
cost and their management, their durability and cleanli- 
ness, are endless objects of interest for the stranger. When 
you recollect that the area traversed by the metropolitan 
police is five hundred and seventy-six square miles in ex- 
tent, and is occupied by a population nearly as large as that 
of Pennsylvania, crowded within a diameter of about thirty 
miles, you may have some idea of the London streets, ave- 
nues, and highways. Six hundred and thirty-five miles were 
added to these streets between 1861 and 1871, and it is 
estimated that there are at least four thousand miles of 
them. Within this area it is estimated that a birth takes 
place every five minutes, and a death every eight minutes. 
London covers seventy-five thousand three hundred and 
thirteen acres, and of its four million inhabitants the last 
complete return shows that one hundred and thirty-nine 
thousand are paupers. The total annual expenditure for 
poor-relief, including poor rates and workhouses, orphan 
asylums, roads, watering, lighting, sewerage, public works 



THE STREETS OF LONDON. 



191 



and police, is four million six hundred and sixty-seven thou- 
sand nine hundred and forty-seven pounds, — over twenty- 
three million dollars, — for the district of London alone. 

There are several wooden pavements in London, all of 
which seem to wear well, owing, doubtless, to the modera- 
tion of the climate and the absence of severe cold in 
winter or extreme warmth in summer. The main thorough- 
fares are composed of sand and rubble, laid in deep founda- 
tions, and then pressed and levelled by heavy steam rollers, 
which as you pass along you find busily engaged repair- 
ing old and forming new streets. The system of London 
sewerage appears to be perfect. The sidewalks are all laid 
with broad stone slabs, and such a thing as a rough or un- 
even or dislocated pavement I have not seen since I have 
resided in London. No matter how steadily and long it 
rains, the streets are almost instantly dried by the first burst 
of sunshine. Early in the morning the scavengers remove 
whatever offal has accumulated during the night, and even 
in the busiest hours of the day boys are employed to col- 
lect the casual manure, which is instantly carted away. 

It is unnecessary to go into the details of this vast met- 
ropolitan government, but it is just to say that all these 
stupendous works are conducted with rigid economy, and 
made at comparatively low rates. Such a thing as a dis- 
honest official is unknown. As a distinguished gentleman 
told me in Manchester, in answer to my inquiry as to the 
fidelity of the public servants, "any man holding a respon- 
sible office in England would as soon think of putting his 
hand into the fire as of using the public money for his own 
purposes." 

Of course, this wonderful system is the result of years, 
though the present splendor of London is in a large degree 
the growth of the last half-century. We read in old books 
that an order of Council was promulgated during the threat- 
ened approach of the Spanish Armada, in which every 



192 



THE STREETS OF LONDON. 



London householder was enjoined, under penalty of death 
at the hands of the common hangman, to suspend a lighted 
lamp before his door after sundown, and before the days 
of Elizabeth the only lights in London streets on moonless 
nights were supplied by cressets and lanterns hung by long 
poles carried by the night watch ; and there are those living 
who will tell you that they recollect the period when the 
streets of London were deplorable sinks of filth and wretch- 
edness. Now the broad blaze of gas at night improves, as 
it were, these thousands of miles of smooth and solid 
streets, making them pleasant to the pedestrian and a special 
comfort to the horses. 

There has been much complaint about the streets of 
Philadelphia, and yet I learn from many of our friends 
who frequently call to see me, and who rapturously describe 
the Centennial work in Fairmount Park, that there is every- 
where a determination to put our house in order for the 
coming international gathering. Individuals can do much 
to help the city government. Indeed, there is hardly a 
man, woman, or child that cannot in some way contribute 
to this desideratum ; and now that 1876 is everywhere dis- 
cussed as the great event of the close of the century, now 
that I can fearlessly say to our English and foreign friends 
that the movement will be one worthy of our country and 
of the time, and now that thousands who have never visited 
us will pour into Philadelphia to take part in that historic 
event, no words of mine are needed to inspire our people 
to the discharge of this eminent obligation. 

London, July, 1875. 



CENTENNIAL FEELING IN FRANCE. 



193 



L. 



Centennial Feeling in France. — Diorama of the Siege of Paris. — American 
Products and Securities. 

On ray way to Berlin I remained over two days in Paris,' 
to gather some data in regard to the American International 
Exhibition. The result is most satisfactory. The details 
would fill many pages. I supply only the general facts. 

The six hundred thousand francs voted by the French 
Chamber in June will be wisely distributed by M. Leon 
Say, the Minister of Finance, and by M. De Someraud, 
the head of the Department of International Exhibitions. 
The work of the Government is largely aided by outside 
voluntary effort. In such an exceptional case as the Amer- 
ican Centennial, local American sympathy is indispensable. 
Left to themselves, foreign nations might conclude that 
our countrymen abroad are indifferent to the novel memo- 
rial event ; but when tl ter take an active interest in 
the work the energy of the accepting Governments is corre- 
spondingly increased. We are especially fortunate in Paris, 
as we are in London and Rome. Apart from the earnest 
example of the American minister, Mr. Washburne, and 
the American consul-general, Mr. Torbert, there is a work- 
ing committee, of which General Sickles is the chairman, 
which promotes careful organization of American influ- 
ence in France. This committee devotes itself to ( the cir- 
culation of information, the encouragement of the American 
artists to be ready for the United States vessel that is to 
take forward their pictures and statuary to the Exhibition 
next winter, and to the answering of all questions not in 
the exact province of the French authorities. Among the 
1 17 



194 CENTENNIAL FEELING IN FRANCE. 

members of the committee are Dr. Evans, Mr. E. Det- 
mold, of New York; Mr. Stebbins, and Mr. Anderson. 
From the speech of General Sickles at the last meeting, 
held at the banking-house of Drexel, Harjes & Co., I take 
the following significant extract : 

" The history of the world may be read in vain for a like occasion to 
celebrate the marvellous progress of a nation. From small beginnings our 
foreign trade now amounts to more than a thousand millions of dollars a 
year. We have created a literature rich in many branches of knowledge. 
We have a standing army of school-teachers preparing the coming genera- 
tion for their great heritage of liberty, prosperity, and power. In the use- 
ful arts we are already rivals of the foremost nations; and what we have 
done in sculpture, pointing, and architecture shows that we have not 
neglected these essential types of culture. 

" Our territory spans a continent, from ocean to ocean, embracing many 
varieties of climate, many products, a population not inferior in number to 
some of the most important European Commonwealths, and more cosmo- 
politan than that of any other nation. Forty millions of freemen, enjoying 
equal civil and political rights, obedient to the law, kneeling to their Divine 
Master in their chosen places of worship, illustrate their fitness for self-gov- 
ernment ; an imperial domain, and not an acre of it gained by conquest ; at 
peace with all the world, and offering in the Tribunal of Geneva a sublime 
example of power doing homage to justice. 

" Our form of government is established. Under Providence, it has sur- 
vived every peril and defied all evil predictions. It has fulfilled all that 
Hamilton and Madison and Adams and Morris foretold of its adaptation 
to our situation. And our" Centennial anniversary will afford a happj 
opportunity to bury all that is painful in the past and to inaugurate a new 
and grander epoch in our history. We have seen in the judicious action 
of the Commissioners the best proof that all sectional and party feeling is 
merged in the more elevated purpose of a national solemnity. The dis- 
tinguished men chosen from all parts of the Union as managers of the 
Exposition, as orators, marshals, and committees, all give evidence of the 
broad patriotism which inspires and directs this great undertaking. 

" We have, indeed, achieved quite enough as a nation to justify our pro- 
I celebration. It is not merely that we have numbered a hundred 
years, but that we have accomplished more, much more, in that period 
has ever been done in the same time by any other country. In mere 
[uity the Asiatic and European States may look down upon us as pa/r- 
; Wat in much that constitutes the true glory of an empire we are to- 
day the teacher of older nations. 

" I am told there is a disinclination in certain quarters in Europe to take 



D 10 RAMA OF THE SIEGE OF PARIS. 



*95 



part in our Exposition of the progress of the arts, because we adhere to a 
protective tariff. This policy of ours has either retarded or promoted our 
advancement. If other countries have surpassed us, let their products 
prove it when compared with ours, and we shall not be slow to profit by 
the lesson. If, on the other hand, we have done well, it should not move 
others to wonder or cavil if we follow a path that seems to be approved by 
our experience and success. In any event, if the free-traders in Europe 
decline competition with us at Philadelphia, their absence will not be 
attributed to their notions of political economy." 

Many of the French have responded to this appeal, but 
none have been so useful as M. Caubert, the gentleman 
who spent a few weeks in America last spring, and who is 
kindly remembered by our people of Philadelphia for his 
enthusiastic friendship. His time and means have been 
freely and constantly given, and in connection with Mr. 
Gratiot Washburne, son of the minister, he is doing great 
good. He is in correspondence with the leading manufac- 
turers and artists, and sees daily the leading men of the 
French Chambers and the editors of the most prominent 
papers. 

A visit to the new Diorama of the Siege of Paris, now 
being rapidly executed for the company organized to place 
it on exhibition in Philadelphia before and during the 
Centennial year, was extremely gratifying. The prepara- 
tions convinced me that it is to be a magnificent addition 
to the great commemoration and a rich reward to the 
originators. The building in which the diorama is being 
painted is about as large as the new Adams Express office, 
corner of Market and Sixteenth Streets, Philadelphia, well 
lighted from a glass roof, and when we came in the artists 
were busy on the gigantic picture, part of which was spread 
out upon the spacious floor. The director of the work, 
Lieutenant-Colonel Luinnard, an officer of the Army of the 
Loire in the late war, was giving his orders to his brother- 
artists. A man of splendid proportions, about forty years 
of age, and over six feet in height, he is evidently the very 



196 DIORAMA OF THE SIEGE OF PARIS. 

person to conduct and manage such a project. He re- 
ceived us with true French courtesy, and showed us over 
the place as he illustrated the comprehensive programme. 
It is about the size of the " Siege of Paris" in the Champs 
Elysees, one of the most attractive spectacles in that bril- 
liant metropolis. The view is taken from the south side 
of Paris, from the elevation known as Mont Chatillon, 
and is different, more original, and more grand than the 
outlook of that superb chef-d" ' asuvre. You are brought 
face to face with the real features of the fight — those nearest 
to you, horses and men, being life-size, and, at a certain 
stage of the exhibition, batteries will be exploded to add 
to the fidelity of the description. The optical illusion is 
so perfect that you pass from these objects, and from trees 
and houses the natural or usual size, and follow the city 
and the conflict till the vision is as realistic as if you 
looked down upon Philadelphia from the top of the State- 
House. The Tuileries, the Madeleine, the Palais dTn- 
dustrie, the Hotel des Invalides, the Place Vendome, the 
Place de la Concorde, the new Opera- House, Notre Dame, 
the river Seine, in fact the streets of Paris in that dread 
hour, with a resolute people behind its walls and a deter- 
mined foe without, are seen. 

Colonel Luinnard has left nothing to conjecture. He 
has reduced his picture to a system, and paints the battle- 
field which he saw as he portrays the city in which he was 
born. His many lay figures are dressed in the original 
uniforms, whether French or German. Here is a dead 
Landwchr ; here a writhing Zouave. We have the war- 
horse in his agony of death; the shell bursting within a 
German fort, and all so drawn and done as to make you 
feel that you are in the presence of a genius such as you 
see only in these ripe schools. Of the thirty artists at 
work when we came in we secured the names following, 
pleased as they were of the justice of my statement and of 






DIORAMA OF THE SIEGE OF PARIS. 



197 



the rare enjoyment in store for the American people. Colo- 
nel Ltiinnard is at once soldier, sculptor, painter, and 
anatomist. He applies mathematical rules to his distances, 
and judges of perspective as lie does of figures and colors. 
His associates have all been selected for excellence in their 
special schools. There is Lehnert, the celebrated figure- 
painter, some of whose perfected soldiers, whether they 
fired standing or kneeling, or lying on the ground, were 
marvels of life and force ; Betseller, who executed the cele- 
brated picture of the Marshal-President, MacMahon ; Plon- 
sey, the sculptor; Greux, the painter of cannons, caissons, 
etc.; Brancous and Leprince, famous figurantes; Grand- 
champs, portraits; together with familiar names like Bar- 
nard, Desbrosses, Bonton, etc. All these artists have noble 
works admitted to the annual French Exhibition for 1875, 
Betseller's picture of MacMahon having just been sold for 
thirty thousand francs. Colonel Luinnard speaks of the 
new diorama with the quiet confidence of certain success. 
He, as well as his distinguished assistants, declare that it will 
be the most effective work of the kind yet seen. It was 
easy to understand that their hearts were in it, and I shall 
be surprised if this experiment does not attract them to the 
United States, where the diorama, apart from its novelty 
and the courage of the men who began it, may create a 
school of art worthy of the French masters and American 
pupils. 

The diorama is to be sent from Havre to New York in 
September, and Colonel Luinnard will accompany his own 
work with assistants to see that it is properly placed, ex- 
plained, and launched before the public. I described to 
him our city, its resources and population, and the object 
of our Centennial ; and it gratifies me to find that the sug- 
gestion I threw out in July of 1867, when I saw the dio- 
rama of the Battle of Solferino, that it should be imitated 
in another of equal magnificence, has now been utilized by 

17* 



1 9 8 AMERICAN PR OD UCTS AND SE CURITIES. 

Mr. Dobbins, who was my fellow-passenger on the Illinois 
to England just one year ago. He and his comrades will 
be repaid for their gallant venture. Millions of people 
vsited the " Battle of Solferino" during the Paris Exposition 
of 1867, and five thousand a day crowd to see its successor, 
the "Siege of Paris," now — a sure sign of the mass that 
will come from town and country to study the new splendor 
in course of completion. But their profits in money will 
be nothing to the good they will accomplish in setting be- 
fore our youth a new world of art. That will be a better 
sequel to their manly public spirit. 

A word on the commercial aspects of the hour may be 
permitted here. This is the beginning of the European 
fall, or autumn as it is invariably called in Europe. I have 
made inquiry about the failure of the crops on the Euro- 
pean Continent. It seems to be general ; and one American 
gentleman, partner in a house for the sale of agricultural 
implements, is so impressed with the fact that he has con- 
cluded to return to America, convinced that the trade will 
not pay him to remain. The following note, just received 
from him, is worth quoting : 

" Enclosed I have the advantage to hand you a report of the wheat crop 
of France up to the 19th instant, by sections — north, south, east, and west. 
Since then the time has not been favorable at all for the ripening of grain. 
The price of biead has changed as follows : In Paris, from September, 
1874, to June 1, 1875, 6 S C - P er two kils. ; June 1 to July 18, 70c. ; since 
July 18, 75c. In some sections I learn this morning that they are asking 
another advance of .05, or 80c." 

After all, if from our full granaries Ave can supply the 
demands of stricken Europe, the good end will equalize 
the bad loss. When European gold comes to the United 
States to pay for our breadstuffs, the very first result will 
be the appreciation of the very securities which our British 
cousins have bought so freely and think they have lost 
entirely. Put our American industries to work by moving 



BELGIUM AND GERMANY. 



199 



our crops at good prices to foreign markets, and there will 
not be a State, or county, or railroad security that has 
passed its interest or suspended its dividend, with a few 
exceptions, that will not rise and repay the original in- 
vestors. The fact will then be again vindicated that the 
United States is now the best country in the world for the 
profitable investment of foreign capital. It is also the 
safest, clear as it is of war and the fear of war, of the 
dangerous accumulation of land and money in a few hands, 
of the evils of unpaid labor, of the perils of a State relig- 
ion, and of that growing and grievous problem, an over- 
crowded population fighting for a livelihood, without a 
hope for individual ambition. 
Berlin, July, 1875. 



LI. 

Belgium and Germany. — The Centennial in Berlin. 

Berlin, now the capital of the great German Empire, is 
about as distant from Paris as Philadelphia is from Chicago, 
— say eight hundred miles, — and you reach it from the 
French capital almost as rapidly and comfortably as you 
travel between the two chief cities of Pennsylvania and 
Illinois. The ride from Cologne, four hundred and three 
English miles, was by express. I left that Catholic centre at 
9.30 a.m., and got here before eight in the evening. There 
was dust enough, in all conscience, but the carriages, or 
cars, were comfortable, the fare reasonable, the attendants 
silent and courteous, and the weather superb. Twenty-five 
dollars is the price for these accommodations between Paris 



200 BELGIUM AND GERMANY. 

and Berlin; and if you take "a sleeper," which I did 
not, you pay about double the rate charged for that luxury 
in the United States. The German railways are better than 
the French, but even they lack the superior personal ac- 
commodations found on all American trains. There are 
no water-closets or lavatories, no checking of baggage, and 
the absence of these conveniences leads to many painful 
embarrassments to travellers, and especially to strangers. 
The fact is, the American railroads at home have so spoiled 
our people that even the critical American, who is always 
ready to fall in love with European habits at first sight, is 
glad to express his grateful recollection of and preference 
for his national railway luxuries. 

I would that I had time to describe the other impressions 
of this rapid jaunt through the three countries — France, 
Belgium, and Germany — so close to one another, and yet 
so different. You are hardly over the frontier before you 
realize the contrast in language, dress, and architecture. 
The French houses and roads shine in their ghastly white, 
and the French people prove their industry and thrift ; but 
how much superior are their Flemish neighbors, especially 
those of the country watered by the river Meuse ! An 
aggregate population of seven millions swarms over this 
kingdom among endless fields of grain, clover, potatoes, 
hops, vines, interspersed with coal, iron, limestone, marble, 
rivers abounding in delicious fish and forests with game. 
The banks of the Meuse between Namur and Liege may 
be said to form and frame a gorgeous picture of varied 
scenery. Indeed, the whole ride in Belgium was through 
an almost continual town. You are never out of sight of 
human habitations, workshops, foundries, factories, villas, 
thriving fields, and a happy people. The architecture has 
lost the French whiteness, and there are a vigor and a 
variety in the work alike of man and nature that tell their 
own story. This one valley is a vast granary and factory 






BELGIUM AND GERMANY. 2 oi 

combined, and you can easily realize why the great Powers 
long for the possession of this beautiful country, and why, 
left alone in its isolation, it grows so strong' and so lovely. 
Lying between France and Germany (both preparing for 
a new conflict, however it may be denied), Belgium, so 
often "the cock-pit of Europe," may again become the 
theatre of a quarrel not of her own making, and to gratify 
a stranger's ambition may be torn into fragments simply 
because of her geographical position. When will the trade 
of the man-killer be ended? 

From Belgium you may pass into Germany, with instant 
notice of the fact. Here are the black eagle, the military 
guard, the Teutonic language, the signs of Germany, and 
all the marks and memorials of authority and vigilance. 
As we flew along between Cologne and Berlin I saw much 
to impress this fact on my mind. A long, level country 
without tunnels and. few hills, yet what a flash of force in 
man and fruitfulness in nature ! The elements of aggres- 
sion lie all around you. The small fields, full-cropped 
even after the late rains ; the gardens and orchards of 
vegetables and fruits, every field and garden with its men 
and women workers ; the lordly stations, the vast iron, 
coal, and granite beds; the red-bricked houses, gleaming 
crimson against the green landscape, were not more per- 
suasive of German power than the colossal iron-works of 
Krupp, covering four hundred and fifty acres, with its 
eight thousand employes and one hundred and ninety-five 
steam-engines. Along this flat prairie, that nearest Berlin 
being alone apparently sterile, you find chapters full of 
warning, and which may be read with curious and profit- 
able emotions by the great Powers. A few days ago I saw 
new forts rising round Paris, and I did not need ask why; 
if I had waited for the solution, I should have found it in 
the no less manifest preparations of the Germans. What 
adds to the strength of this chapter is the fact that both 
i* 



202 THE CENTENNIAL IN BERLIN. 

sides are eager and intent for the crash : — Germany in the 
belief that she cannot be entirely safe until her neighbor 
meets a third Sedan or Waterloo, and France that her pres- 
tige demands a giant effort for the restoration of Alsace 
and Lorraine, and for the vindication of the fame she won 
under the first and lost under the third Napoleon. How- 
ever faulty the logic of both, it becomes the philosopher to 
accept the fact that each side believes its own argument. 
No third party can arbitrate between such foes. France is 
" spoiling for a fight," and Germany is quietly putting on 
her gauntlets. Both profit by the events of 1870 and '71, 
but it remains to be seen which has gained the most expe- 
rience. Nations are like individuals — they rarely learn the 
value of a good example till it is too late. France may 
precipitate a fight with Germany a second or third time, 
and if so, she may be crushed; but even as a victor, will 
Germany be the lasting gainer? It is a dark outlook, and 
we may thank our stars that the bloody wave of this im- 
pending conflict cannot redden our shores. 

But I have no time for the politics of war, nor even for 
the healthier topic of the peaceful productions of these 
great peoples. Therefore, let me tell you of the German 
position in regard to our International Exposition at Phila- 
delphia in 1876. There has been some doubt and delay in 
regard to Germany. Many causes operated, not only the 
mistakes at Vienna, the hard times, the cost of the late 
war, and the belief that the American Government was 
hostile to the Philadelphia Exposition — there were others, 
but these were chief. My experience convinces me that 
the German Government has never allowed anyone of these 
causes to dampen its own determination to be well repre- 
sented at the Centennial. Hesitation was natural under 
the circumstances, but now the aspect is one of hope and 
energy. The Parliament voted five hundred thousand 
"marks," — a mark is equal to an English shilling, — and 






THE CENTENNIAL IN BERLIN. 



203 



the Commission, of which Mr. Jacobi is the chief, is in 
active operation. I have had two long interviews with him 
and his executive assistant, a gentleman of much intelli- 
gence, and find that the organization is almost complete. 
In company with the American consul-general, Mr. Her- 
mann Kreisemann, I have conferred with the German Com- 
mission, and while none of the obstacles I have enumerated 
were denied, they have all been modified or removed. Mr. 
Kreisemann himself, like Mr. Bancroft Davis, the Amer- 
ican minister at Berlin (now on a summer leave on the 
Rhine), has been most useful within the lines of his office 
and the instructions of Mr. Fish, and I have been specially 
aided by him. His thorough knowledge of the German 
language and people, and his long experience in America, 
have made him a most valuable adviser. The necessity of 
some friendly voice at these foreign courts was never more 
a [(parent than now. We cannot convince them that we 
are in earnest if we remain absent or indifferent, and our 
warm words add much to their efforts. 

Germany will be represented at Philadelphia next vear in 
her art and manufactures as follows : Mr. Krupp, the great 
nanufacturer, has a.^ked for a large space, and one of 
his specialties will be a mammoth gun capable of throwing 
a thousand-pound ball. The laces, silks, and textiles will 
need a space of at least ten thousand feet ; the books, en- 
gravings, especially chromos and illustrated works, and 
typography of Berlin and ■Leipsic, at least four thousand 
feet ; Stuttgart and Berlin, Dresden and Munich, will send 
paintings ; there are already forty exhibitors of wines from 
the Rhine and forty from the Palatinate. Wurtemberg, 
Alsace and Lorraine, the Grand Duchy of Baden, and 
other provinces, will be well represented. One of the ad- 
vantages in the German machinery for the Centennial is 
the fact that its home agents are detailed from other bu- 
reaus, and so cost nothing extra. Most of its exhibitors 



204 



THE CENTENNIAL IN BERLIN. 



are men quite competent to expend money for the purpose 
of showing their own goods. It gave me pleasure to say 
to Mr. Jacobi that such was the case with the gentlemen 
appointed to manage the Government part of the Philadel- 
phia Exhibition, and that nearly all the active men in the 
Home Commission not only gave their time and labor gra- 
tuitously, but also their money. I am well satisfied with 
my visit to Berlin. The authorities were most interested to 
hear my plain statement of the progress of things at home 
and abroad, and I return to London armed with a budget 
of useful facts. The editorial article in the London Times 
of Saturday, July 24, embracing the elaborate history of 
the Philadelphia Exposition and the progress of the work 
up to date, from the pen of the Philadelphia correspondent 
of that paper, came in good time to Berlin, and shall be 
duly translated for the German public. 

Our International Exhibition grows apace upon for- 
eigners and ourselves. They take in its vast dimensions 
with a surprise not less novel than the sensation of our 
own increasing obligations to it. A gentleman writes me 
from London : " The article in the Times is a marvellous lift 
to the Centennial cause. I pray you will all be equal to the 
work laid upon you." I am sure of it. The opportunity 
is one that comes only once in a hundred years, and this is 
the first of the procession of centuries. All interests look 
to it, and there is no longer indifference or doubt. It has 
ceased to be a local affair. It is no longer even national. 
Cosmopolitan in all its details, with every civilized people 
to help it forward, it would be very sad if the good men 
who began the work when it had no friends should fail now 
when everybody is in its favor. 

Berlin, July, 1875. 



FRANKFOK T- ON- THE- MA IN. 205 



LI I. 

Frankfort-on-the-Main. 

From Berlin to Frankfort-on-the-Main in twelve hours, 
in the first sleeping-carriage I have seen in Europe — pro- 
prietor, Colonel Mann, an American, owner of the Mobile 
Register, of which John Forsyth is still the editor. Mann 
is a dashing fellow, full of grit, and considerably cosmop- 
olized by his foreign success. His carriages are like ours, 
with more conveniences, such as separate apartments, 
and electric bells for each, which are instantly and politely 
answered by the German " kellner" (servant). Commend 
me to the Swiss and German attendants, and to the Swiss 
and German hotels — the former attentive and kind, and 
the latter almost invariably clean, cheap, and quiet. 

The Frankfort people are awake to the Centennial, espe- 
cially when I reported the vigorous co-operation of the 
Government at Berlin. Here are collected for sale the 
exquisite Bohemian and Bavarian glass so much in vogue, 
and the delicate and costly varieties of table service so 
much affected by our rich families. I have always held 
one language to "intending" foreign exhibitors, and I 
think I have met a thousand: " The American Interna- 
tional of 1876 is your opportunity as well as ours. We 
invite you cordially, but do not come reluctantly. Your 
American customers are among the best. In Rome and in 
Florence Americans are spending vast sums for pictures and 
statuary, among their own and Italian artists. In Venice 
it is the same. And I would not speak of the money laid 
out for all manner of objects by my countrymen in Paris, 
Dresden, Munich, and London. All this expenditure does 

18 



206 FRANKFOR T- ON THE- MA IN. 

not include what is known as the bulkier articles of com- 
merce. Much as you have seen of American liberality in 
Europe, recollect there are thousands of rich men in the 
United States who have never seen Europe, and who will 
see it for the first time in its various exhibits in the Phila- 
delphia Exhibition. They will assuredly buy if you will 
send over your best ; but you must take some risks. I 
know how you feel about free trade, and I have experienced 
the necessities that have compelled us to protection. Come 
over to us, and test your system by comparison with ours. 
We are not afraid. We offer you a new market, and we 
challenge you to a free competition. Our Government 
has offered you very liberal terms, and our people will give 
you a hearty greeting ; but, I repeat, do not come grudg- 
ingly. It costs as little to take goods from London and 
Paris to Philadelphia as it did to Vienna in 1873; ar, d 
then you have a new and vast country to see, full of curious 
and profitable studies. You now send a letter from any 
part of Europe, except France, to any part of America for 
one-fourth as much as it cost twenty years ago to send a 
letter from Edinburgh to London, and competition has 
reduced the rate of travel to a mere trifle. The telegraph 
enables you to talk to your American friends several times 
a day, and you are neighbors of the most distant nations 
by railroads and steamships." 

It is very interesting to watch this process of assimila- 
tion. You reach Frankfort-on-the-Main (having left Ber- 
lin the night before at eight) at eight in the morning, and 
you stop at the West End Hall, the hotel where all the 
railroads are combined. Here passengers come from and 
go to Paris, Vienna, St. Petersburg, and to all the inter- 
mediate places along the Rhine. The trains are constantly 
arriving and departing, and from the porch of the West 
End Hall, which stands between three stations, and re- 
ceives many travellers for rest and refreshment, I have 



FRANAFOK T- ON- TIIE-M. 1 f.Y. 



207 



studied the diversified throng passing to and fro. It is a 
sort of human kaleidoscope. Aided by a German friend, 
I disentangled the different characters in the unceasing pro- 
cession. First the Englishman and his family, with a red 
book, — Murray or Budeker, — a bundle of canes and um- 
brellas, and a roll of wraps ; they stop for cold roast beef 
and pale ale. A German, with a long pipe, and his wife 
with a poodle-dog; they stop for Sweitzer cheese and a 
huge pitcher of beer. A company of marksmen, each 
with his wife, at least fifty in all, on the way to the Schuetz- 
enfest at Darmstadt to-morrow (Sunday). A platoon of 
German soldiers, fully equipped, in marching order, with 
carbine, sword, tin cup, a roll of water-proof, and strong 
shoes; half a dozen working people from the fields, with 
their wooden pattens over their shoulders — men and women, 
sad and worn ; a party of Americans on the way to Hom- 
burg, keen young men, bright, small-footed girls, a mother 
in black silk, with anxious eyes, and a well-satisfied father; 
now a bevy of young Germans from the University, their 
faces literally embroidered with gashes received in sword 
fights, — a hideous custom, not yet extinct, worthy only of 
savages. Then we have the inevitable Hebrew, the im- 
passive Turk, the jaunty Frenchman, well-dressed women 
with advertising eyes, artists with their "traps," on their 
way to Wiesbaden and Cologne, invalids en route for the 
baths, officers in full uniform, quiet scholars in search of 
repose, and London clerks out for their autumn vacation. 
I have watched this tide of humanity from my quiet perch 
for hours, and no point of view is more instructive than the 
little notice each takes of the other, and the pervading tone 
of separate individuality. It is the world in miniature. 
Frankfort-on-the-Main, July, 1875. 



2o8 SPA. 



L 1 1 1. 

Spa. — Gaming-Houses Suppressed. — Friends Abroad. 

I have reached Spa, in Belgium, formerly one of the 
most celebrated fashionable watering-places in Europe, but 
latterly mostly frequented by those who woo Fortune at that 
"Board of Green Cloth," the gaming-table. On the ist 
of January, 1873, the whole of the real estate of the gam- 
blers of Germany was declared public property; the Gov- 
ernment allowing them to play only until December3i, 1872, 
on the payment of a million of thalers (each two-thirds 
of our dollar) for the improvement of the towns in which 
they " plied their vocation." In addition to this, the gam- 
blers paid over one hundred thousand thalers for the same 
purpose. These towns know them no more, and yet crowds 
gather every season at such resorts as Baden-Baden, Wies- 
baden, and Ems. Hundreds who avoided them when pub- 
lic gambling was the fashion visit them now, and, as I have 
already described, "the black sheep" find occupation at 
Monaco, near Nice, and a little village in Switzerland. 
Spa, where I am now writing, is in Belgium, about midway 
between Cologne and Brussels. It is among the oldest and 
brightest of its sanitary schools. For two centuries Spa 
was the favorite retreat of the titled and the rich ; it now is 
full of them again. The population is eight thousand, and 
the visitors amount annually to about sixteen thousand. 
Up to within a short time its gambling-rooms cleared easily 
two hundred thousand dollars a year after paying for the 
public balls, music, and theatres, and giving large sums for 
the improvement of the roads and the town. In early days 
these gaming-houses were the property of the Prince-Bishop 



SPA. 209 

of Liege, who divided the profits of the gaming tables, and 
no new table could be erected without his authority. 

Like Homburg and Wiesbaden, this gay place is very 
beautiful. It lies in a sort of semi-basin in the midst of 
the Ardennes, and its healthy and airy walks, its noble 
avenues and alleys of lime-trees, its bath-houses, numerous 
springs, and fine houses, attract crowds. There are nine 
chalybeate springs, all cold and sparkling, in a circuit of 
six miles, and you reach them by agreeable roads and paths 
bordered by fragrant trees. The excursions in the vicinity 
are full of historic interest. Spa is also famous for a pecu- 
liar manufacture of toys, made of wood stained by the min- 
eral waters, and many artists are employed in decorating 
them with paintings and flowers. The interest of the Bel- 
gians in our Exposition shows itself plainly in this romantic 
spot. Not only was it the theme of conversation, but pho- 
tographs of the Exposition Buildings were suspended in 
the public places. The progressive and liberal monarch 
of this workshop and granary of a Kingdom, Leopold II., 
is personally active in urging contributions to Philadelphia 
in 1876. 

An amusing incident marked my visit to Spa. Although 
only four hours from Cologne, where I put to good use my 
small stock of German, I found that I could not make my- 
self sufficiently intelligible to ask for a cold lunch at the 
Spa station, where all was French ; not a word of German 
spoken or understood ! There were three boys and a girl, 
and they listened to me in open-eyed wonder. But a happy 
relief was at hand in two young Philadelphia gentlemen, 
temporarily resident here, aged respectively ten and twelve, 
who had just put on trousers for the first time, and whose 
father is my valued friend. They came in opportunely, 
supplied me with all the language I wanted, and brightened 
my short stay. How strange, that a few hours should so 
completely change the habits and language of a people ! 

18* 



210 GERMAN CUSTOMS. 

You realize this, singularly, in the difference between the 
English at Dover and Folkestone and the French at Calais 
and Boulogne, after you cross the Channel. In two hours 
you pass from one world to another. In our own country 
we travel three and four thousand miles through the same 
people and language, and yet these changeful idioms pro- 
mote and create a genuine cosmopolitanism. 

Some of the habits of the Germans are primitive enough. 
Even in the best hotels dinner is often served at one o'clock 
P.M., and the fashionable stranger falls into it by making 
that meal his breakfast ! The Germans go to the theatre 
and opera at six o'clock in the evening, and most of them 
are in bed at ten. In England the men go into the streets 
or gardens to smoke ; in Germany they smoke over the 
whole house, and light their cigars and pipes at your side 
in the dining-room ; and, truth to add, they are just as 
clean and polite as the English for all that. I notice, too, 
that the ladies never object to these masculine indulgences. 
In all the German towns the dogs are made to work, and not 
left, as in England, to play. Hitched to little carts, either 
in the shafts or under the wagon, they supplement the man 
or woman who owns the barrow, and pull by ones or twos 
with a surprising fidelity ; and, better than all, they seem 
to be proud of their service. You get so used to all these 
things, and now a hay or grain field without women at 
work seems almost an offence. The rural gentle sex like 
it, I should think from the eager energy of their labors. 
Nothing in these Germans and French is so wholesome as 
their almost universal temperance. Living among wines, 
and making the wines of and for the world, they are nearly 
as sober as the Turks. Take the lowest of the men and the 
most degraded of the women, and the especial vice they 
avoid is that of drunkenness. It ought to be easy to 
govern multitudes who possess this one great virtue of 
governing themselves. 



FRIENDS ABROAD. 211 

It is a great satisfaction to me to meet ever) where my 
country-people, and to find them so wide-awake about our 
International Exhibition. There has been such a constant 
crusade upon our credit and character in late years, in 
many cases without cause — and I insist, in no one case 
which I could not match in other countries, placed under 
the same fierce light of outside criticism and inside expos- 
ure — that a noble mission like our Centennial was needed 
to lift us from our demoralization at home and our despon- 
dency abroad. You see and feel this now as you travel in 
Europe. It is like a new and a' better atmosphere. I am 
met every day by congratulations upon the growing prom- 
ise of the Centennial, and uplifted by the pride of our 
countrymen in Europe over the magnificent preparations 
of the great Powers who are to sit as guests at our interna- 
tional love-feast. Let me name among those who have 
been most useful in their voluntary and unpaid exertions 
Hon. E. P. Carpenter, of Scarborough, Massachusetts, 
who, after a long sojourn in London, returned in a late 
steamer, and is now at his home. Equally earnest and 
generous are ex-Governor Claflin, of the same State, now 
in Dresden, and ex-Governor Clifford, also of Massachu- 
setts, at present in Switzerland. I spent an evening lately 
with my old friend, Hon. Robert M. McLane, of Mary- 
land, and found him as fresh as when I first saw him in 
Washington, thirty years ago. A Southern man heart and 
soul, a ripe statesman, having filled high stations at home 
and abroad with vast ability, it was cheering to mark his 
enthusiasm over the Centennial as the era of international 
and internal reconciliation. Mr. Henry D. Moore, of 
Philadelphia, is working for the good cause in Russia, and 
we owe much to General Daniel E. Sickles, in Paris, where 
he improves his rare opportunity to aid us among his large 
circle of friends. I can with equal justice speak of the 
valuable and substantial sympathy of Dr. Evans, of the 



212 FJiIEA T DS ABROAD. 

American Register in Paris, and the steady aid given by- 
its able editor, Dr. Crane. Nor forget, in this connec- 
tion, Mr. J. C. Mackenzie, in Galignani, who almost daily 
discusses the International, and Dr. Ryan, the new Paris 
editor of the New York Herald. In Rome we have W. 
W. Story and Randolph Rogers and their brother-artists, 
with William Hooker, the banker; in Florence, M. D. 
Eyre, the American banker, and a long array of American 
painters and' sculptors ; and, indeed, I have yet to hear of 
an American, from whatever State, who is not doing his 
best for the Centennial abroad. The Philadelphians are, 
of course, foremost in their appeals. 

Nobody has done more generous and practical good than 
Thomas H. Dudley, of New Jersey, elected a Centennial 
Commissioner about a year ago. I saw him in London in 
July, and he is now in Paris. I wish we had a dozen such 
men in every European capital. It is the perfect ignoring 
of self, the utter abnegation of party, the generosity that 
gives- time and money with equal munificence, the mag- 
nanimity that goes more than half way to forgive an enemy, 
and the broad catholic spirit that soars above creeds and 
critics — it is all these that constitute the platform and the 
purpose of those who are pushing the work of the Centen- 
nial at home and abroad. Mr. Dudley will show on his 
return how well he has used his time since he left the 
United States last June. He comes armed with many 
valuable suggestions, the result of his own experience as 
American consul for ten years at Liverpool, of his fresh 
knowledge of the new work at home, of his recent inter- 
views with many of the ablest men in Europe, and of his 
own native enthusiasm. I will not anticipate his recom- 
mendations, save in so far as I may generally refer them to 
the favorable consideration of Congress and the country. 
They are all practicable and necessary. 

Sl'A, August, 1875. 



WIESBADEN. 



213 



LI V. 

Wiesbaden. — German Universities. — Champagne Manufacture. 

In Wiesbaden, the capital of Nassau, a lovely resort, and 
a short ride from the classic Rhine, I find much worthy of 
comment apart from its natural beauty, pure atmosphere, 
and healing waters. In this month of August the absence 
of heat, of flies, and of mosquitoes, the exquisite tempera- 
ture, the glorious old trees in the old public grounds, the 
fountains and public buildings, invite to rest and reflection, 
and I do not wonder that thousands flock to the retreats 
along this storied river in search of health and repose. 
Yet there is material for a more active life, especially to 
those who, like myself, travel for an object, and keep their 
eyes open and their hearts steadily fixed upon their home 
beyond the seas. Indeed, such an object is the real flavor 
of experience; without it, without occupation, or the sense 
of service in a good cause, absence would be a pain and 
travel a labor, but now every mile opens a new thought, 
and every hour offers a useful opportunity. 

Sitting alone and unknown last evening in the beautiful 
grounds of the Kursaal, the former gambling-house of 
Wiesbaden, now a library and reading-room under the 
reforming rule of the German Emperor, who celebrated 
the union of his Empire by closing all these haunts of dis- 
sipation, I spoke in very bad German to a very young man 
on one of the chairs at my side, and received a polite 
reply. He was a Norwegian, attending a chemical labora- 
tory at Wiesbaden preparatory to his admission into one 
of the great German universities. After asking him some 
questions he found that I was an American, and at once 



214 GERMAN UNIVERSITIES. 

informed me that there were several of my young country 
people among his associates. "One of them is here," he 
added, calling out from a group near by a bright-faced 
young fellow, who came eagerly forward to meet me. His 
name is Henry C. Steifel, he lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- 
vania, and he was sent to Germany by his father to finish 
his chemical studies. Thus began a very pleasant acquaint- 
ance. Next morning, in company with young Steifel, I 
visited the laboratory and obtained some insight into one 
of the educational institutions of this great country, and 
especially into the extraordinary interest taken in chem- 
istry. 

Germany has twenty -one universities, the principal 
being Leipsic, Berlin, and Heidelberg. Leipsic has al- 
ways between two thou; and and two thousand five hundred 
students, about two hundred or three hundred studying 
chemistry. Berlin has between one thousand five hundred 
and two thousand students} about two hundred studying 
chemistry. Heidelberg has about one thousand students, 
of whom about one hundred study chemistry. There are 
also nine large polytechnic schools, the two largest being 
at Munich and Stuttgart; many private laboratories, the 
largest in Germany being at Wiesbaden, with about ninety 
students, under Professor Frisenius. There are many cele- 
brated chemists at German universities : Hoffman at Ber- 
lin, Kolbe at Leipsic, Bunsen at Heidelberg, Kekule at 
Bonn, Wohler at Gottingen, etc. Many of these univer- 
sities are very ancient, Heidelberg being about three hun- 
dred years old. Many Americans study in the German 
universities, Heidelberg alone having about fifteen each 
on. 

Here, as in other places, I found the International Ex- 
position the prevailing topic; and more than one of the 
young men spoke of coming over to see it. Indeed, the 
number of visitors to America in 1876, estimated by the 



CHAMPAGNE MANUFACTURE. 215 

information I receive, will be very great. Our country is 
exciting various sensations abroad. Many are curious, 
many are surprised at our growth, many doubt our ability 
to endure, a very few fear or dislike ns, but the great body 
of the people everywhere look to the United States as 
their ever-ready and safe reserve. Among these must be 
classed the young scholars who, finding no reward for their 
talents in the Old World, will crowd eagerly to the New. 

Science figures largely in all the productive arts, and 
chemistry in the lead. You find the evidences in all na- 
tions, and these German statistics show how it enters into 
the practical operations of the world. The cultivation of 
the soil, not alone for what that soil will grow, but for that 
which remains undeveloped, is a chief mission of the chem- 
ist ; and in our own country, where nature is so generous, 
the field is almost boundless. Here the earth is made to 
give forth streams of wealth in wondrous and varied pro- 
fusion. The valleys and hills of the Rhine are converted 
into gardens. Every few miles a different grape is seen, 
although the soil seems to be the same, while from the 
rocks rise springs filled with medicinal waters. After 
I had visited the laboratory in Wiesbaden, I rode out to 
see a champagne factory, a few miles distant on the Rhine. 
One of the proprietors, Mr. Frederick Poths, of the Hotel 
Rhiers, accompanied us and explained the process of pre- 
paration from the grape. A million of bottles of sparkling 
champagne, made at this establishment, were all ready for 
market. The demand is constant and increasing. The 
process is the same as it is in France. When the wine is 
young and has not yet finished fermentation it is mixed 
with older wine which has finished its fermentation, im- 
mediately bottled off, put into a room heated to thirty 
degrees, where it remains and ferments for one month. 
Sometimes the wine is too strong for the bottles, but it is 
astonishing how few are lost. All the bottles are then 



216 CHAMPAGNE MANUFACTURE. 

placed, end up. in vaults, where they remain for one year, 
during which interval the sediment of the wine settles on 
the corks (the wine being turned up), and when the wine 
is recorked the sediment escapes and the bottle is filled 
with old Rhine wine and sugar. The champagne is then 
ready for the market. You will realize what an immense 
trade there is in champagne when I tell you not only that 
I saw one million of bottles in the vaults of Mr. Poths, 
but that he informed me that Moet & Chandon manu- 
facture annually at their French establishment about a 
million and a half dozen bottles. I told you from Berlin 
that the wine-makers of the Rhine had resolved to send 
forty varieties to our Exhibition next year. 

Plans of the International buildings have been circulated 
all through this valley. Our people must learn much from 
the presence of the growers of the grape and the makers 
of the wine, which contributes so much to the health, 
wealth, and power of France and Germany. While they 
cannot forget that the light wines of these countries have 
only reached present perfection by the long trials of cen- 
turies, improved by the discoveries of modern science, in- 
cluding the chemical analysis and cultivation of the various 
soils, they should also remember that the United States 
offers a thousand inducements for the growth of the grape, 
which gives the juice for almost the same varieties. Our 
experiments have been most successful. It is true the for- 
eign products still rule our market. The consumption of 
French champagnes and red wines, of German Johannis- 
berg, Rudisheim, Cabinet, Moselle, and other sparkling 
hocks, still draws from lis millions of our gold every year, 
but time will put us far on the way of a reasonable inde- 
pendence, and 1876 will be the opportunity for contrast 
and observation. Once we have reached a fair, practical 
sense of this new source of wealth, whisky and brandy, 
with all "hot and rebellious liquors," will disappear. 



BRUSSELS. 



217 



A city railroad in Wiesbaden, projected by an American, 
my friend W. T. Valentine, now and for many years a 
resident of London, is rapidly approaching completion, and 
will be opened in a few days. Aided by some English capi- 
talists, he will soon have it in profitable operation. I found 
this American institution in London, Antwerp, Brussels, 
and Paris, rapidly growing into favor. What would Phila- 
delphia be during the Centennial year without her eight 
hundred miles of city iron roads? This single fact goes 
far to add to the magnitude of the Exhibition in foreign 
eyes, even as the answer to my question disposes of the 
complaints so common a few years ago, when our Legisla- 
ture granted the charters to our city railroad companies. 
A question as easily and as forcibly answered, in view of the 
same period, is: What would Philadelphia be without the 
American line of steamships between her own wharves and 
the great British port of Liverpool? An International 
Exhibition in America without direct steam communication 
with Europe would dwarf into a mere provincial fair. 
Wiesbaden, August, 1875. 



LV. 

Brussels. — Enthusiasm for the Centennial.— What Belgium has done. 

Brussels, on my arrival from Spa, was under a copious 
rain. The streets were flooded and desolate, yet the next 
morning a bright sun showed this beautiful capital of Bel- 
gium washed bright and clean, her great parks glittering in 
their summer robes. Another city of the centuries, with 
an aggregate population of about one hundred and seventy- 
five thousand, the commercial metropolis of a kingdom of 
six millions of people, the seat of the ancient nobility and 

K 19 



2i8 BELGIUM AND ITS ADVANTAGES. 

kings, the centre of alternate war and revolution, the best 
part of Brussels looked as new and as freshly painted this 
lovely August morning as if it had just come into being 
full fledged and perfect. Here again we meet the light 
and graceful architecture of the French, with French dress 
and living, French music, French in the theatres, the 
Court, and the streets. But with all the perils of its inter- 
mediate position — lying, as it were, in the road between 
the Gallic and the German giants — Belgium may well boast 
(monarchy though it is) of being a purer republic than 
France, and a more tranquil and popular government than 
Germany. Protected, let us hope, by the last treaty of the 
Five Powers against the danger of encroachment from either 
of the still hostile Empires, Belgium will flourish as a sig- 
nificant example of the value of successful industry, thor- 
ough education, and enlightened legislation. Leopold II. 
is a ruler of excellent qualities, and seems to deserve the 
title of the People's King. Their institutions are, in some 
respects, highly democratic, especially the feature of pri- 
mary or communal control, and their devotion to manufac- 
ture, commerce, and art is a better sign of progress than 
are huge preparations for war. No act of Parliament can 
become a law in Belgium, even after its approval by the 
King, until it has been sanctioned by the Ministry. There 
is a freer press in Belgium than in Germany, and evidently 
a more settled and satisfied populace. 

My first visit, in company with Mr. A. J. Drexel, was to 
the American consul, Dr. John Wilson, of Pittsburgh, Penn- 
sylvania, now, in the absence of any diplomatic representa- 
tive from the United States, the sole medium of American 
communication with the Belgian Government. I found 
him sympathetic and earnest in regard to the Philadelphia 
Exhibition, and he gave us full and interesting details. 
At a later hour he kindly accompanied me to the Bureau 
^of the "Exposition Internationale de Philadelphie," and 



WHAT BELGIUM HAS DONE. 



219 



presented me to Mr. J. Clerfeyt, member and secretary 
of the Belgian Commission to Philadelphia. I found the 
latter deeply immersed in his work, which seemed to be a 
real labor of love to him. He had just received a London 
letter from our constant friend P. Cunliffe Owen, Esq., ap- 
pointed to systematize the business of his department. I 
found — 

JFirst. Duplicates in French of all the American regula- 
tions and statistics issued by the Philadelphia Commission 
and Government of the United States. 

Second. Elaborate descriptions, in French, of the five 
great Exhibition Buildings in the Centennial Grounds; the 
dimensions of Fairmount Park ; the approaches by land and 
sea. 

Third. A list of the accepting Governments, a circular 
describing Mr. Owen's visit to Philadelphia and descriptive 
of the progress of the British preparations. 

Fourth. A copious and well-displayed advertisement of 
the Red Star line of steamers between the Belgian port 
of Antwerp and that of Philadelphia, in connection with 
the Pennsylvania Railroad, with minute details as to accom- 
modation, fares, etc. 

Fifth. The corrected list of the Belgian Commission to 
Philadelphia ; it being intended that a full quorum of this 
body shall be present during the Exhibition. Mr. Clerfe\ t 
will be there as the executive and resident secretary. 

Sixth. The letters of the Belgian Commission, signed 
by the president, Baron G. de Woelmont, and counter- 
signed by Mr. Clerfeyt, to the agriculturists, artists, manu- 
facturers, and scholars of Belgium. 

Seventh. Full lists of the Belgian exhibits, - which include 
all varieties of productions, and these varieties are beyond 
conception: Paintings, sculptures, bronzes, engravings, 
books, glass, wood, marble, steel, iron, cotton, linen, 
wares, laces, metallurgy, grains, chocolate, coffee, cocoa, 



220 WHAT BELGIUM HAS DOXE. 

vegetables and animals, perfumeries, preserved fruits, hats 
and caps, sugars and syrups, liquors, biscuits, candles, 
acids, fertilizers, chemicals, paints, drugs, terra-cotta ware, 
a vast collection of toys, table service of all kinds, military 
goods, paper hangings, poplins, delaines, satins, sacred 
vestments, precious stones, artificial hair, hair ornaments, 
etc., etc. 

The collection includes science and education; among 
other things a Belgian school-house, the catalogues and 
books and the whole organization as perfect as a military 
school. 

And this is "little Belgium," with a population only 
one-half larger than Pennsylvania! 

me here say, once for all, that in all my efforts to 
promote the International Exhibition I have had the gen- 
erous aid of the American ministers and consuls, as well 
as the enthusiastic co-operation of the American residents 
and travellers in Europe. The consul-general at Paris, 
General A. T. Torbert, has been unwearied in his labors, 
and I hope I may be pardoned for adding that his accom- 
plished wife is as earnest as himself. I can speak with 
equal justice of Consul-General and Mrs. Dahlgren, at 
Rome; of Corfsul-General Kruesen and lady, at Berlin; of 
Consul Spencer, at Genoa; of Consul Duncan, at Naples; 
of Consul-General Webster, at Frankfort; of Consul Bridg- 
land, at Havre; of Consul Vesey,.at Nice ; of Consul Potter, 
at Marseilles; of Consul Thompson, at Southampton; and 
of Consul Crane, at Manchester — indeed, I might name 
the whole catalogue of our commercial representatives 
when speaking of their disinterested and voluntary services 
the Centennial. The American ministers at all the 
European courts have, like the consuls, observed their in- 
structions from the Department of State in Washington, 
and have kept the different foreign powers fully advised of 
the progress of the Philadelphia Exhibition. General 



FRENCH CONTRIBUTORS TO THE EXPOSITION. 221 

Schenck at London and Mr. Washburne at Paris - have 
tfiven much strength to the movement by their intelligent 
juggestions and sincere sympathy. 
Brussels, August, 1875. 



LVI. 

French Contributors to the Exposition. 

Edmond About, the celebrated French litterateur, and 
editor of the dashing Republican paper, the Paris Dix- 
neuvieme Siecle (the Nineteenth Century), has announced 
his intention of visiting the Centennial Exposition for the 
purpose of writing up that international gathering, and also 
of describing the varied resources and peculiar institutions 
of America. He has been engaged by Hachette & Co., 
one of the largest publishing houses in Paris, and as his 
work is to be published in handsomely illustrated numbers, 
a large sale may be expected. M. About is a prominent 
Mason, and informs me that some one hundred members 
of the Masonic order, including the best mechanics and 
artists, will go forward to Philadelphia at an early day for 
the purpose of practicing their various trades and pro- 
fessions during the Exposition. They will be supported 
on their outgoing trip by the Masons of France, and I have 
assured them that they will be hospitably received by their 
brethren in the United States and have written a notice of 
this fact to the head of the Masonic order in Philadelphia. 

Robert Fleutey, the distinguished French artist, a mem- 
ber of the French Institute, now in his eightieth year (who 
well remembers the first Marquis de Lafayette and is a 
friend of the last), is engaged on a work for the Phila- 

19* 



222 FRENCH CONTRIBUTORS TO THE EXPOSITION. 

delphia Exposition illustrating the visit of Benjamin 
Franklin to the French Court in the last days of his life. 
M. Fleurey received me with distinguished courtesy at 
the venerable institute of which he is a member, and 
entered with characteristic enthusiasm into the suggestion 
which I had the honor to make, that we should like tq. 
have one picture at least from his historic brush in our 
cosmopolitan collection. 

The American people will never forget that it was in the 
spring of 1824 that the Marquis Gilbert Motier de La- 
fayette left Havre for America on his second short visit to 
that 'country ; and while at Havre a few days ago in con- 
versation with Mr. Vesey, the American consul at Nice, 
France, I had an interesting description vividly recalled 
by the latter of the embarkation from that port of the 
illustrious Frenchman. Mr. Vesey was then a lad, em- 
ployed in the American consulate at Havre, and when 
Lafayette was bidding adieu to his numerous friends 
crowded on the quay, young Vesey was sent to the French 
soldier with the imperative message from the captain of 
the vessel, then waiting for him in the stream, that if he 
did not soon take boat they would be compelled to weigh 
anchor without him. It would be a happy coincidence if 
the grandson of the great Marquis, the present Oscar de 
Lafayette, now living in Paris, surrounded with the respect 
and love of the people, could be induced to leave this same 
port of Havre, early next spring, in an American ship, as 
the guest of America at our International Exhibition. No 
visitor from abroad would be so welcome as the descendant 
of the Marquis de Lafayette, except, perhaps, John Bright 
or Guiseppe Garibaldi. I have repeatedly said so to M. 
de Lafayette, but he is so modest and retiring that up to 
this moment he has declined to accede. Full of love as 
he is for America, he shrinks from a crowd, and does not 
desire to be made the object of conspicuous attentions. 



FRENCH CONTRIBUTORS TO THE EXPOSITION. 223 

A letter from Thomas Cochran, Esq., chairman of the 
Centennial Buildings Committee, accepting the proposition 
of Major Auguste Bartholdi, who offers his beautiful bronze 
fountain, which 1 have already described, as a free gift to 
the Centennial Co'mmissioners, asking only that it should 
be placed in a proper position and supplied with gas and 
water, has given much satisfaction to that brilliant and 
disinterested artist and his numerous friends, and long be- 
fore the winter sets in I hope that you will be able to enjoy 
the sight of what I conceive to be the most symmetrical 
and effective fountain I have ever seen. As a model for 
all our cities, and especially for such places as Reading, 
Lancaster, Easton, Erie, and other towns of equal and even 
larger size in other States, it will be well worthy of study 
and purchase, for its cost will be moderate. The same 
artist' lias under way his colossal lighthouse, to be placed 
on Bedloe's Island, in the approach to the harbor of 
New York, to which I have already called attention. Ex- 
clusive of the pedestal it is more than one hundred feet 
high, is surmounted by a gigantic female figure holding 
a torch in her right hand, and when completed will be 
one of the most striking objects of the kind on any coast in 
the world. A committee of prominent Frenchmen and 
Americans has been raised for the purpose of securing 
funds for this extensive work. Among the names are 
Oscar de Lafayette, Laboulaye, Flobert, Washburne, and 
Rochambeau. Next Monday, September 7, M. Bartholdi 
calls his committee together at his studio, 40 Rue Vavin, 
Paris, for the purpose of consulting upon the necessary 
arrangements. One part of this colossal figure, the arm 
alone, has been modelled for display at the Philadelphia 
Exposition. The size of the complete statue may be con- 
jectured when I tell you that this single limb looks like the 
mast of a ship. 

Paris, September, 1875. 



224 SURRENDER OF YORKTOWN. 



LVII. 

Diving. — Surrender of Yorktown. — Dion Boucicault. 

There is now on exhibition at the Alexandra Palace — 
the new competitor with the Crystal Palace — a curious col- 
lection of the various processes of diving, which attracts 
great crowds, and has already, at the low rate of three- 
pence for admission, well paid the projectors, who are 
anxious to place a copy of it "in our Exposition if they can 
be supplied with the necessary water, — a problem easy of 
solution when we remember that the Schuylkill is our 
boundary, and that the Alexandra Palace and its grounds 
are situated on a hill and the water supply consequently is 
artificial. Engagements permitting, I hope to have an 
opportunity of personally inspecting this interesting work, 
at once so useful and so novel. A recent article in the 
London Daily News explains with much minuteness the 
great advantages resulting from the successful application 
of the various processes of diving, especially in the recent 
exploration in the wreck of the Schiller, by which forty 
thousand pounds have already been recovered. 

A number of Philadelphians have secured another pano- 
rama — this time the representation of the surrender of the 
English armies at Yorktown, Virginia, which closed the 
Revolutionary War. The artist- is Colonel Luinnard, the 
same who has completed the new siege of Paris for Mr. 
Dobbins and his associates, and I cannot doubt that both 
will be remunerative enterprises. "The Surrender at 
Yorktown" is on a flat surface, some ninety feet in length 
and thirty feet high, and is pronounced by those who have 



DION B O UC1CA ULT. 225 

seen it a vivid, faithful, and picturesque representation of 
that great historical event. 

William Blackmore, Esq., an intelligent English 
resident at Salisbury, famous for its ancient cathedral, and 
in the neighborhood of the mysterious colossal relic, 
" Stonehenge," is about preparing and publishing, chiefly 
for the benefit of the Philadelphia Exposition, an illustrated 
book descriptive of the early life of William Perm, copies of 
which will be forwarded in due time. Mr. Blackmore is the 
owner of some choice old engravings relating to the youth- 
ful days of Penn, which will be of rare interest to our 
National Museum. Identified in many ways with America 
and deeply interested in her progress, Mr. Blackmore is 
one of a very large class of Englishmen who will utilize 
the Centennial year by reproducing such relics of our 
primitive history and experience as will throw new light 
upon the men and events of the past. 

Dion Boucicault, who played in San Francisco on the 
evening of July 31, left California on the 1st of August 
and reached New York on the 7th. Taking the steamer 
on the nth for Liverpool, he arrived in London ten days 
after, and is already fully prepared to open at Drury Lane 
with his popular play, "The Shaughraun." It marks the 
progress of the age that he should have travelled, with in- 
tervals for rest, a distance of nearly seven thousand miles 
in less than three weeks without fatigue. I attentively 
listened to his interesting description of his last meeting 
with the lamented William S. Ralston, of San Francisco, 
whose sad death excites so much surprise and comment. 
Having myself known Mr. Ralston, and gratefully remem- 
bering his princely hospitalities to Colonel Scott and his 
party a little more than three years ago, when we visited 
the Pacific coast, I felt naturally anxious to know whether 
the shadow of the fate which finally befell him was manifest 
at all during his intercourse with Boucicault ; and I was 

K* 



226 BARTHOLDI'S COLOSSAL LIGHTHOUSE. 

prepared, therefore, to hear that when the latter left him 
he seemed much preoccupied with business, though at in- 
tervals naturally cheerful and buoyant. Mr. Boucicault 
paid him the warm tribute of a kindly heart, and said that 
he could only now remember the fact that Ralston was the 
benefactor of the Pacific coast, the friend of the poor, the 
patron of art in all its phases, and the most unselfish and 
liberal of men. "Even," said Mr. Boucicault, "if all 
that I left in his care — and it was a large sum — should be 
sunk in the general wreck, no word of reproach against 
William S. Ralston should pass my lips." Still speaking 
of Boucicault, let me add his very practical suggestion, that 
after the Exhibition at least one of the great buildings 
should be left standing, in connection with the Art Me- 
morial Hall itself, in which the most valuable specimens 
of manufactures should be preserved as the beginning of a 
great Museum like that at South Kensington or the Crystal 
Palace at Sydenham. 
London, September, 1875. 



LVIII. 

Bartholdi's Colossal "Lighthouse. — M. Laboulaye. — Healy the Painter. 

Invited to Paris for a few days to meet the committee 
appointed to make preparations for Major Bartholdi's colos- 
sal lighthouse, the model of which has just been finished, 
and which is to be erected by the generous subscriptions of 
the French Republicans and their associates in America on 
Bedloe's Island, in the bay of New York, I had an oppor- 
tunity of again meeting M. Laboulaye, the distinguished 
political economist, whose noble leadership in the Chamber 
of Deputies promises what I trust will be a permanent 



M. LABOULAYE. 



227 



Republic for this magnificent Empire. Among others 
present at this interesting consultation, which took place at 
the private residence of M. Bartholdi, were M. Edmond 
About, Henry Martin, the historian, and Grand Master of' 
the five hundred thousand Masons in France, and several 
other gentlemen of distinction, including Consul-General 
Torbert, Mr. Vesey, American consul at Nice, Mr. Walter 
McMichael of Philadelphia, and Gratiot Washburne, Jr., 
of the American legation in Paris, who represented his 
father, now absent at Carlsbad. I have more than once 
mentioned this imposing lighthouse, which is in the form 
of a female figure in bronze, one hundred feet high, to be 
placed on a granite pedestal sixty feet high. If you could 
see the preparations making for it you would realize at 
once its peculiar magnificence and the genius of the Repub- 
lican artist who is executing it. M. Laboulaye predicts 
that it will be one of the wonders of the Western Conti- 
nent, and taken in connection with the superb lion of Bel- 
fort — the frontier-town defended so bravely against the Ger- 
mans during the late war — itself perhaps the largest figure 
of the kind in the world — you obtain another idea of the 
artist, whose fountains beautify the principal cities of 
France, and whose bronzes are among the finest in Europe. 
M. Laboulaye, I regret to say, is too much engaged in his 
legislative duties, and is too essential to his party in France, 
to pay us a visit. We all remember his book on America, 
that wonderful insight into our domestic life and political 
institutions which showed a far closer knowledge of both 
than that of many a traveller who had given time and at- 
tention to the subject. When we consider that M. Labou- 
laye has never seen our country, we can better appreciate 
the almost inspired temper of a production which, besides 
its large sale in our own country, has been translated into 
Russian, Greek, Assyrian, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, 
German, and Dutch, and is a standard work in all libraries. 



228 IIEALY THE PAINTER. 

Short though my stay in Paris must be (for I return to 
London immediately), I called at the studio of Mr. G. A. 
Healy, the American artist, 64 Rue de Rochefoucauld, 
to see his contribution to the Centennial, being the fine 
full-length painting of the interview between Lincoln, 
Grant, Sherman, and Admiral Porter, preparatory to the 
march into Georgia. It is a noble work, worthy of the 
fame of Mr. Healy as an unrivalled portrait-painter, giving 
us perhaps a better Lincoln than any yet painted. I have 
known Mr. Healy for twenty-five years, and can therefore 
confirm the fame he has obtained since the time when a 
struggling artist in the National Capitol at Washington he 
produced the memorable likeness of that noble-hearted 
man, President Franklin Pierce. Hung around his studio 
were many familiar faces, showing not alone the improve- 
ment of the artist but the advance in his worldly position. 
Mr. Healy is going home to America to remain for the 
Exhibition, and will doubtless be one of its most active 
promoters. He had just received his appointment from 
Philadelphia as one of the committee of three to select and 
send forward such contributions as may be furnished by the 
American artists in France ; and, although his absence from 
this committee is unfortunate, we shall not lose the benefit 
of his practical friendship. 

The rapid growth of the sentiment in this beautiful capital 
in favor of the Exhibition is now very obvious. In several of 
the windows along the boulevards I find the engravings of 
the Centennial Buildings surrounded by admiring crowds, 
while in all circles it is the favorite subject of conversation. 
One carriage-maker has applied for permission to send for- 
ward thirty vehicles, the specimens of his manufacture, while 
the glass, silk, lace, cotton, wool, steel, iron, and gold and 
silver work, not to speak of the contributions of the French 
artists, to be forwarded, indicate the justice of the demand 
for more space at the hands of the Government officials. 



BISHOP SIMPSON. 229 

M. Martel, a member of the National Assembly, and the 
producer of the celebrated brandy which bears his name, 
will be present in person with the rarest varieties of his 
manufacture. The Masonic Grand Masters are busily en- , 
gaged in teaching the one hundred Masons who are to go 
forth to the Exhibition, representing various trades and 
conditions, the Masonic service in English, so that they 
will be able to converse and work with their brethren of 
the mystic tie in America. An application has been made 
to the Minister of Marine to establish another line of 
steamships between Havre and Philadelphia, and as the 
applicants represent many important interests, there is 
every prospect that the request will be acceded to. 

Bishop Simpson and his daughter, now in Paris on their 
way home, have visited many places on the Continent, and 
will go back to Philadelphia full of information in regard 
to the progress of the Centennial in Europe. Everywhere 
he went he found it an object of interest among all classes, 
and with his wide acquaintance and ripe experience he has 
not failed to push forward the good work. Indeed, every 
American that I meet shows the same spirit, and you must 
not be surprised if, in addition to the vast multitude of 
strangers, hundreds of our own people who have lived 
abroad for many years will next year return to their native 
country for the purpose of witnessing what on all sides 
promises to be a most unique and commanding display. 

Paris, September, 1875. 



SCXD.JV IX EXGLAXD. 



LIX. 

The Continental and the English Sunday Street-watering. 

I venture to make a few suggestions, the result of a 
somewhat close observation during my sojourn in Europe, 
strengthened by some recent discussions in the Philadel- 
phia papers, first, as to what is called the Continental Sun- 
day as contrasted with the Sunday in England. The latter 
is the example which commends itself naturally to the 
United States, and, while furnishing a severe contrast with 
the license on the first day of the week in France and 
Italy, is also best adapted to our habits and our institutions. 
Some persons insist that the closing of the taverns in Eng- 
lish cities during the day, and the opening of them from 
six to twelve o'clock at night, invites and encourages- a dis- 
creditable dissipation, and that if the rule common to the 
Latin countries were observed here a different state of 
things would prevail. The characteristic of the French, 
Italians, and Germans, that which promotes an almost 
universal sobriety, is the abstinence of the populace from 
strong drink, while here the five or six hours of the Sun- 
day evening during which the taverns are thrown open are 
generally productive of the wildest and most dangerous 
excesses. 

England does not shut out her populace from all amuse- 
ment on Sunday. Even while the grog-shops are closed, 
all the parks and squares are open ; the railroads and omni- 
buses are in constant operation save during church hours in 
the morning, while through the week — and this is the point 
to which I desire to call the attention of the Centennial 
Commissioners and the city authorities in Philadelphia — 



SUNDAY STREET-WATERING. 231 

such resorts as the Crystal Palace and the Alexandra Palace 
are made attractive by many varieties of amusement, and 
in the matter of restaurants any number at very low rates. 
In fact, there is scarcely any kind of recreation that is not 
made available in all the public places throughout England 
during the week. As our great Exposition is to be nothing 
if not cosmopolitan, the English example deserves careful 
consideration. 

No part of the great display of next year will be more 
instructive and useful than the number of blooded horses 
sent in from our own and other countries, and these ought 
certainly to be furnished with opportunities to try their 
speed. Whether the two established race-courses, that at 
Point Breeze and that at Suffolk, can be utilized with this 
view, is a subject for your own consideration. 

In The Press just received I notice a paragraph referring 
to the clouds of dust on Broad Street, and I can easily re- 
call the annoyance which often arises from the same cause 
in Fairmount Park. Here, again, we may take a leaf from 
the experience of our English and Continental brethren. 
The watering of the streets of London, Paris, and Brus- 
sels, and of all their parks and open places, is one of the 
delights of residents and travellers. During their visits to 
the Old World, most of the Centennial Commissioners 
have watched the process, common to every summer day, 
so that dust on the great European thoroughfares is almost 
unknown. I need say no more, save to add that we are 
certainly as well provided with water as are foreigners, 
and I believe better. The public hose here are divided 
into sections and placed on wheels, and are never in the 
way of travel. On warm days they are constantly em- 
ployed, so that every road is kept free from dust of every 
description. As you rise in the morning you find all the 
water-plugs open and the refuse carried off from the gutters 
into the sewers. 



232 THE DRAMA IN LONDON. 

Bear in mind that these suggestions are not simply for the 
Centennial, but, properly attended to now, may constitute 
a system to last through coming generations and become 
the example for every other city on the American Continent. 

London, September, 187s. 



LX. 

The Drama in London. 



I have not had much time for the theatres, but as public 
amusements of the highest order must form an essential 
feature of the Centennial, I did not neglect the double 
impulse of inclination and duty. Drury Lane has lately 
been dedicated to the revival of what is called the Walter- 
Scott drama. For many weeks "Amy Robsart" has been 
played to crowded houses. The sojourn of Queen Eliza- 
beth at Ken il worth, and her reception by the Earl of Lei- 
cester, makes real the superb romance of history described 
by the "Wizard of the North." The Virgin Queen visited 
her favorite in 1566, 1568, 1575. On the stage, as in the 
novel, one might revel in the fascinating fictions of that 
chivalric period, and see stately Elizabeth, courtly Sir 
Walter Raleigh, accomplished Darnley, villainous Varney, 
noble Tressillian, with poor Amy, who sought a refuge in 
the Castle, and was discovered by the angry Queen. The 
pleasures provided for the amusement of the capricious and 
self-willed haughty monarch, the processions, the masques, 
the music, and the ballet, were presented with all the acces- 
sories of modern art. Old Drury has put on its royal 
robes; it is a splendid house, with sweeping tiers, filled to 
overflowing ; a spacious stage, a perfect orchestra, and fine 
acting. A bust of Sir Walter Scott was in the broad en- 



THE DRAMA IN LONDON. 



233 



trance, and a Queen's Guardsman, in scarlet uniform, mus- 
ket in hand, paced the passage, significant of the patronage 
of the Crown for this establishment. Another of Walter 
Scott's conceptions, the thrilling story of " The Talisman," 
was also produced at this theatre ; with Richard of the Lion 
Heart, Sir Kenneth, Saladin, and the grand pageant of the 
allied armies of the Crusade. 

" The School for Scandal," which was played for over a 
hundred nights at the "Prince of Wales," was too sure a 
card to be set aside, and is one of those old things made 
new with fresh scenery, novel situations, and unique ren- 
derings, so frequent in London. Thus you have Dickens, 
Shakspeare, Bulwer, and other writers most familiar to us, 
made over again by the genius of the playwrights. Ham- 
let is not the Hamlet of the common stage, but another 
character, perhaps more in keeping with the idea of the 
great inventor. Piekwiek is a different Pickwick, and even 
history is made to pass before you in a style wholly unlike 
your accustomed reading. The able men who write for the 
London theatres, the magnates who manage them, the 
newspapers that criticise them, and the crowds who flock 
to them, are never satisfied without some strange effect; 
and it is wonderful how generously genius supplies the de- 
mand, and how patronage devours and rewards it. 

John S. Clarke, now as well known on the London as on 
the American stage, has been at the Adelphi, filling his 
house and his pockets, and Lydia Thompson at the Char- 
ing Cross, equally prosperous. The latter startles the Lon- 
don Times this morning with two new American actors she 
has introduced here. The Times says: "But the great 
event of the evening was the appearance of two American 
actors — Messrs. Willie Edouin and John Morris — in parts 
which scarcely pertained to the story. Of these the for- 
mer portrayed the 'Heathen Chinee,' celebrated by the 
pen of Bret Harte, while the latter sustained a protean 

20* 



234 



THE DRAMA IN LONDON. 



character, and underwent about half a dozen changes of 
costume, all effected in the presence of the audience. 
These two actors, one accurately presenting a type of 
humanity perfectly new to London, the other performing 
a feat of ' personation' altogether unprecedented, took the 
audience completely by surprise. The extravaganza has 
been played with much success in the United States, and, 
well put upon the stage, has all those attractions which 
belong to pieces of the kind. But it is of Messrs. Edouin 
and Morris that the town will chiefly talk." 

Our actors are well received in all the English theatres. 
Last year I found Mr. H. L. Bateman in fine feather at the 
Lyceum, growing rich by his resistless energy, aided by his 
two gifted daughters, Kate (Mrs. Crowe) and Isabella, the 
latter ripening into fame and beauty and already a star. I 
afterwards met Bateman in Paris in company with Carl Rosa 
(poor Parepa's husband) and Brignoli, just after he had 
seen Victor Sardou, the reigning dramatic author, who lives 
near Paris at Marly, and who is at work on what promises 
to be a mine of wealth in the shape of a fresh French sen- 
sation. Sardou, whose "Uncle Sam" was a dire failure, is 
ambitious to recover his laurels, and Bateman thought that 
what he was then furnishing would do it. A sketch of Mr. 
Bateman's career in London may be interesting. 

The Lyceum had for years been one of the worst theatre- 
properties in London. Fechter leased it in 1862, and had 
only one successful season. After his lease expired the 
house had no regular tenant. In September, 1871, Mr. 
Bateman took the theatre for a term of years and assumed 
the management. The opinion was universal that he too 
would be added to the list of failures. Mr. Bateman, a 
man of wide dramatic experience on both sides of the At- 
lantic, saw that the house was most advantageously located, 
well constructed, and in every way capable of being made 
a handsome and popular theatre. He saw, too, that almost 



THE DRAMA IN LONDON, 



235 



all the leading places of amusement were given up to bur- 
lesque, light comedy, and similar productions of little 
solidity, and he perceived a desire on the part of the public 
for something more real and substantial. He therefore 
caused the house to be thoroughly renovated and rede- 
corated, enlarged and altered the stage, removed the seats, 
replacing them with luxuriously upholstered fauteuils, con- 
structed on the American plan, so as to admit of easy in- 
gress and egress by the aisles — in a word, expended a large 
sum in making the house one of the most beautiful in Lon- 
don. He then selected with great care a company capable 
of rendering the best works of the great masters of dramatic 
literature. He secured for his theatre two of the first scenic 
artists in England, who gathered around him a corps of 
assistants, each of whom was in his own department an 
expert. The first play produced — entitled "Fanchette" — 
was an earnest of what Mr. B.'s future course would be in 
every detail of costuming, scenery, and misc-en-scene. The 
attention of the public was at once attracted, the new order 
of things noted, and though immediate success was not under 
the circumstances to be anticipated, still the main point 
had been gained, and the Lyceum was no longer avoided. 
The next production was "Pickwick," founded upon 
Dickens's novel, admirably cast, which added still further 
to the reputation of the theatre. While engaging his com- 
pany, Mr. Bateman saw Mr. Henry Irving in the part 
of Digby Grant in the "Two Roses." He was at once 
struck by the excellence of his acting, and, believing that 
he saw in him the ability for a higher sphere, at once en- 
gaged him. The third piece presented at the Lyceum was 
one which created a great and lasting sensation. It raised 
to eminence an artiste whose powers had never before been 
tested, the tide of popularity flowed into Bateman's theatre, 
and has never since turned. This play was "The Bells." 
A psychological dramatic study of extraordinary power 



236 THE DRAMA IN LONDON. 

and absorbing interest, it was produced with every ad- 
vantage. Mr. Irving's superb creation of the Burgomaster 
Mathias carried the town by storm. The play ran one 
hundred and fifty consecutive nights to immense houses. 

Miss Kate Bateman next appeared at this house, playing 
the character of Leah for six successive weeks, and closing 
the season with the tragedy of "Medea in Corinth," in 
which, in the title-role, she surpassed all her previous im- 
personations. 

Mr. Bateman's first season at the Lyceum having been so 
extraordinary, his best friends thought its second could not 
rival it. But my redoubtable friend thought otherwise. 
He had met and conversed much with Mr. W. G. Wills, 
author of the " Man o' Airlie," "Hinko,"and other plays, 
and became convinced that Wills was capable of writing a 
grand historical play which should be in itself a marvel in 
our time, and which would further reveal Mr. Irving's 
talents ; and accordingly during the summer vacation 
"Charles the First" was written, and produced on the 
opening of the Lyceum for its second season. Its success 
was instantaneous and continuous. Seldom, if ever, was 
such unanimity displayed by the London journals as in their 
recognition of the wonderful rendition of the part of Charles 
by Mr. Irving. Miss Isabel Bateman (the second daughter), 
as Queen Henrietta Maria, received also the warmest com- 
mendations for her acting. The manner in which the piece 
was placed upon the stage was commented upon by every 
one. The play was run uninterruptedly for one hundred 
and eighty-eight nights, being the longest run of any seri- 
ous play on record, except Miss Bateman's performance of 
"Leah," which ran two hundred and twelve consecutive 
nights at the Adelphi Theatre in 1863-64. 

" Charles the First" was succeeded by "Eugene Aram," 
by the same author, fittingly designated a dramatic poem, 
and in this Mr. Irving gave further evidence of his ability. 



THE DRAMA IN LONDON. 



237 



The triumphal season was closed by the reappearance of 
Miss Bateman in her impersonations of Medea and Leah. 
Upon the main attraction for his third season Mr. B. had 
determined long before it commenced. He resolved that 
Irving should play Richelieu, and on the occasion of the 
late Lord Lytton's visit to the Lyceum at the performance 
of "The Bells," presented the question to him, and re- 
ceived the assurance that in his opinion the character could 
not be entrusted to better hands. 

"Richelieu" was produced at the commencement of the 
third season, and, as the Cardinal, Irving far surpassed any 
contemporaneous performer. "Richelieu" ran one hun- 
dred and fifty consecutive nights — the best comment on the 
merit of the performance. For his next attraction Mr. 
Bateman was determined to produce a new play, which 
while differing from should at the same time equal in in- 
terest his previous productions. He therefore procured 
from the pen of Mr. Hamilton Aide, a novelist of great 
popularity, a play called "Philip," written expressly for 
Mr. Bateman, and this was produced on the withdrawal of 
" Charles I." The cast was exceptionally strong, present- 
ing Mr. Irving in the title-role, a character well fitted to 
display some of his most admirable characteristics; Miss 
Isabel Bateman as the heroine. The third season was 
brought to a brilliant close by the revival for a short period 
of each of the great plays here named. After this, the 
crowning triumph of all was " Hamlet," which perform- 
ance I have previously described in detail. The Lyceum 
closed, on the 2d of July, with the two hundredth per- 
formance of "Hamlet." Mr. Irving, now in his thirty- 
seventh year, looks to America as a new and extensive 
field for the exhibition of his powers, which are very 
great, peculiar, and original in execution, and to a large 
extent magnetic in their influence. 
London, September, 1875. 



238 SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 



LXI. 

Sale of American Products Abroad. 

Sentiment is one thing, and common sense quite an- 
other. European nations are coming to Philadelphia, not 
alone to cultivate a better feeling with our great country, 
not alone to ward off the possibilities of future conflicts, 
nor, especially so far as England is concerned, to promote 
a closer assimilation between the two English-speaking 
peoples, but also, and chiefly, to open and maintain new 
markets on the other side of the Atlantic. This is the 
realistic view of the question, and it was a wise forethought 
of the British Government, nearly two years ago, when they 
sent forth one of the ablest men in the diplomatic service 
at Washington to examine the various industrial centres 
in the United States in order to find new avenues for 
goods of British manufacture. 

While Europe is coming to America for a practical ob- 
ject, while, in fact, there is an honorable selfishness at the 
bottom of the vast preparations for next year, let us turn to 
another point and see how far American enterprise and 
genius may find opportunities for compensation among 
the European nations. The facilities between the United 
States and foreign nations are so rapid and numerous and 
comparatively cheap that riot many years will elapse after 
the Centennial before we shall witness an increase of 
mutual transatlantic commerce before which present sta- 
tistics will pale their ineffectual figures. 

I have taken some pains to gather a few facts in refer- 
ence to the demand for American products in the Old 
World, simply to show what Americans may expect from 



SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 



2 39 



this auspicious beginning. There is an imaginative aspect 
which, relates to the contributions of American actors and 
actresses, and also to the enormous number of our literary 
works sold and read in foreign countries, particularly along 
the more frequent lines of travel. In literature we can 
point to the dictionaries of Webster and Worcester, to the 
histories of Irving, Prescott, Motley, and Bancroft. In 
poetry to Longfellow, Bryant, Whittier, Edgar Allan Poe, 
James Russell Lowell, and Edmund Clarence Stedman ; 
and in fiction and humor it may be fairly said that the 
American writers also stand high. There is a large trade 
in the works of " Artemus Ward," "Mark Twain," 
"Hans Breitmann," Bret Harte, J. G. Holland, Louisa 
M. Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, J. Fenimore Cooper, 
and William Carleton, while the works of our scientific 
and theological writers are eagerly read and accepted in 
the highest quarters. 

It is when we come to the more substantial utilitarian 
products that we may be most surprised. I have before 
me now the catalogue and price-list of John G. Rollins & 
Co., American merchants and factors, Old Swan Wharf and 
33 King William Street, near London Bridge. This house 
has been in existence for about fifteen years, and they are 
doing an extensive business, equal to at least a million a 
year, in American goods, among which the following are 
most noteworthy : 

As for American Ploughs — They have a large sale at the 
" Cape" for an American "sulky" or "gang" plough, as 
also in the various countries of Continental Europe for this 
and for ordinary single-furrow ploughs; same in Australia. 

Reapers and mowers they send largely to the various 
British Colonies and to Continental Europe. 

Hay-presses they are shipping in large numbers, mostly 
for Ireland, but also for the Continent and for the colonies. 

They have bought the patent right of, and manufacture 



240 SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 

upon an extensive scale, one of the most popular of Amer- 
ican lawn-mowers. That the excellence of this class of 
American inventions is becoming yearly better recognized 
in English markets is clearly shown by the greatly-increased 
demand for this machine, which has been so great that they 
have been compelled to enlarge their manufactory in order 
to meet it. It is used in her Majesty's gardens at Bucking- 
ham Palace and in many other public places — Hyde Park, 
Horticultural Gardens, Battersea, Victoria and Kensing- 
ton Parks, etc., from all of which have been received testi- 
monials of approval expressed in most enthusiastic terms. 

Corn-shellers, hay-cutters, grain and fanning-mills, rice 
and coffee-hullers, etc., are among their regular importa- 
tions from America. 

For next season's sales they are now receiving a shipload 
of American grindstones, which find a ready market in 
Great Britain and on the Continent. For small harvesting 
goods, such as scythes, snaths, rakes, and forks, they have 
a large sale, but more notably for the celebrated forks 
made by Messrs. Batcheller & Sons, of Wallingford, Vt. 
They are now receiving orders by thousands of dozens from 
single houses for these forks for next year's use. Shovels, 
spades, picks, and draining-tools form a very large part of 
their trade. Of these they ship immense quantities to 
Australia and New Zealand. Another large branch of 
their business is in handles. They ship by hundreds of 
cases every variety of American-made fork, axe, pick, 
broom, adze, and small-tool handles to Great Britain, the 
Continent, and to the Colonies. They ship large quan- 
tities also of various kinds of farmers' and gardeners' small 
tools, such as hoes, floral, grass, lawn, and garden rakes, 
pruning shears, etc. Wood ware, such as tubs, pails, wash- 
boards, clothes-pins, toy pails, etc., make a large branch in 
themselves. 

There is also an extensive sale of American folding 



SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 



241 



chairs, which are becoming very popular because of their 
peculiar lightness and ingenuity of construction, which en- 
ables them to be folded into smaller space when not in use 
than European productions. They also have a very large 
sale for ordinary chairs and other American furniture. The 
next items which attract attention in their extensive general 
catalogue are such domestic articles as wringing-machines, 
carpet-sweepers, ice-cream freezers, apple-parers, egg-beat- 
ers, churns, sewing-machines, etc., in all of which, espe- 
cially the latter, they have an almost unlimited trade. They 
sell large quantities of our plated ware. In American clocks 
they carry a very large stock of various kinds, which are 
well received, now that they are known to be thoroughly 
reliable. Some of their largest articles of trade are the 
pumps and hydraulic machinery made in Middletown, 
Conn. Their catalogue contains over two hundred dif- 
ferent varieties of these pumps, etc., and their sale in all 
markets is literally enormous. 

This firm represent in England several well-known Amer- 
ican houses: in Boston, Troy, Wallingford, New York, 
New Haven, and many others. They are sole English 
agents for the celebrated Otis Excavating Machine, made 
in Boston. They have recently imported one of these 
enormous machines, which is in successful operation at the 
extension of the Royal Albeit Docks at Hull, excavating 
at the rate of eighteen hundred cubic yards per day. 

This enterprising firm well knows the value of " printers' 
ink," therefore I was not surprised to learn'that they have 
long since made themselves known the "world over" as 
" pushing" American merchants. They have issued an ex- 
tensive series of catalogues descriptiveof their numerous arti- 
cles of trade, and these are distributed broadcast throughout 
Europe and the British colonies. In addition to this they 
have travelling agents constantly "on the road" in Eng- 
land, Ireland, and on the Continent, and periodically send 

L 21 



242 SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 

a representative around the world on their account— call- 
ing at Australian, New Zealand, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, 
and Sandwich Island ports, and they strive to maintain 
at home the name their representatives create for them 
abroad. 

Next we have Charles Churchill & Co., American mer- 
chants, No. 28 Wilson Street, Finsbury, dealers in Ameri- 
can tools, machinery, pumps, oil-stones, and chase-pipe 
screwing machines. Their head house is in New York, 
and their London catalogue covers fifty-nine closely-printed 
folio pages, with photographs of their different manufac- 
tures and inventions. Their pipe-cutting and threading 
machines are in large use and warmly commended by many 
English houses, while their American endorsers include 
most of the sugar-refiners, railroad companies, and machin- 
ists in our country. Their patent dies and lightning plates, 
their screwing machines, their parallel vises, their swivelled- 
jaw vises, their rocking swivelled vises, their combination 
bell-punch, their universal rolling machine, their belt fas- 
teners, their improved oilers, their upright self-feeding 
drills, their patent planers, their drilling machines of all 
kinds, their various car-wheel chucks, their iron-cutters, 
their foot-lathes, their apple-parer and egg-beater, their 
hand planing machine, their automatic tool grinder, with 
many other inventions, not only exhibit American inge- 
nuity in a new light, but show the magnitude of their 
trade, supplemented as it is by the highest testimonials, 
including the medals awarded at the Vienna Exhibition in 

1873- 

A recent article in the London Times described the new 
trade in shovels and edged tools which has grown up in 
England under the auspices of the enterprising firm of 
Hussey, Binns & Co., at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 
catalogue and price-list of the Brown & Sharpe Manufac- 
turing Company, manufacturers of machinery and tools, 



SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 



2 43 



and of Darling, Brown & Sharpe, manufacturers of United 
States standard tools, cast-steel iron squares, American 
standard wire-gauges, and a variety of tools for accurate 
measurements, the chief house being at Providence, Rhode 
Island, both exhibit a large European patronage. Their 
various machines have been introduced into Germany, 
Belgium, Norway, France, and England, and they secured 
a silver medal at Paris in 1867, and one at Vienna in 1873. 
H. Disston & Sons, of Philadelphia, are also largely sell- 
ing their products in Germany. Mr. D. Strunk, the effi- 
cient agent of a firm at Janesville, Wisconsin, which is 
engaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements, 
has been eminently successful in introducing reapers and 
mowers in North Germany, Denmark, and other countries. 
Woods & Co., of 36 Worship Street, have opened a large 
trade in American reapers and mowers in England, and 
other reapers — as the Buckeye and the McCormick — have 
attained great popularity. On Queen Victoria Street is 
the branch house of the Remington Rifle Company, the 
parent manufactory being at Ilion, New York. This branch 
is said to be doing a larger business than any other manu- 
facturer of arms in London. About two years ago they 
commenced the introduction of their sporting rifle and 
pistol here, and have met with great success. The Ameri- 
can sewing-machines are everywhere, of every description, 
having almost complete command of the English and Con- 
tinental market. Philadelphia is represented in London 
by the American Sewing-Machine and Buttonhole Com- 
pany, and there are thriving agencies for the sale of others. 
The great Hoe fast printing-press manufacturers lead all 
competitors here and on the Continent. The finest part 
of their work is imported from America, but their heavy 
castings are made here, where they have also an office, a 
repair-shop, and other buildings. They furnish most of the 
daily papers of London, including Times and Telegraph, 



244 SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 

with their presses. The Waltham Watch Company have a 
splendid establishment in High Holborn, and near by is 
the branch of the Elgin Watch Company. The latter com- 
pany have an agency located in St. Petersburg, and the 
former are rapidly extending their trade to all parts of 
Europe. The American tramways (for street cars) are 
already in operation in London, Liverpool, Manchester, 
and Birmingham, and in Paris, Antwerp, Brussels, Berlin, 
and Wiesbaden, they are not only profitable investments, 
but greatly preferred by the people to any other mode of 
locomotion. While all these are founded on the American 
model, and some of them are still conducted by Ameri- 
cans, they are gradually passing under foreign control. 
The statistics of the trade in petroleum, of which the 
house of Peter Wright & Sons, of Philadelphia, may be 
called the chief, shows that all over Europe, and even in 
Asia, that peculiar product, although now suffering from an 
overabundant supply, is certain at no distant day to enter 
into universal consumption. London and Antwerp are the 
chief European distribution points for petroleum. 

The high price of American pianos, with a heavy impor- 
tation duty upon them, prevents their sale abroad, but their 
excellence is everywhere admitted and commended, espe- 
cially by musical professors; the cabinet organ of Mason 
& Hamlin, which was used by Mr. Sankey at the recent 
large gatherings in Great Britain, is now being fast intro- 
duced into family and chapel use, while the firm of George 
Wood & Co. are also opening a successful trade in the same 
line. 

The capital employed in American cheese is something 
enormous, and there is a constant and an immense demand 
for that cheese in the English markets. 

The pottery works which have been going on for some 
years at Trenton, New Jersey, may be called the promise 
of a great manufacturing interest, and a gentleman recently 



SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 



245 



from Staffordshire assures me the interest can readily be 
extended into all our States and a large trade built up. 
The English manufacturers admit that we have the peculiar 
varieties of clay necessary for the finest descriptions of 
earthenware, now become a fashionable product. Ceramic 
ware is the mania all over Europe, and the porcelain, 
parian, majolica, the various Wedgwood conceptions, in- 
cluding the magnificent tiles of Minton, the exquisite 
works in flowers and in statuary — all these, now exclusively 
in the hands of the great Staffordshire establishments, may 
in the course of time be successfully imitated by American 
skilled labor, and thus, though we may not enter into com- 
petition with these unrivalled masters of the art, we may at 
least finally keep at home the money now spent here, and 
in this aspect the beautiful specimens that will be shown at 
Philadelphia next year will be so many unconscious edu- 
cators of our people. 

The Pullman and the Mann palace and sleeping-carriages 
are only the commencement of what is certain to become 
a profitable business; and already the air-brakes of West- 
inghouse and Smith have been introduced on some of the 
leading railways. 

The venerable Mr. Goodyear, the pioneer in the india- 
rubber trade, is now in London, and the enormous demand 
for the endless varieties of india-rubber or gutta-percha 
goods shows how his example and enterprise have been fol- 
lowed. 

American canned fruit is to be found, not only in Lon- 
don, but all over the Continent. In fact, there is not a 
metropolis or town in which American signs and placards 
are not frequently seen; and it is stated that if the Ameri- 
can and British travel were to cease in Italy flourishing cities 
would be comparatively desolate. 

American locomotives are supplied to Russia notwith- 
standing our high protective tariff. That able and candid 

21* 



246 SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 

Englishman, Professor I. Lothian Bell, in his paper read 
before the Iron and Steel Institute of London in May, 
1875, says, " High prices enable the American iron-mas- 
ters and machine-makers to pay high wages, which has so 
fostered the inventive genius of our relations across the 
water that the economy with which they can construct 
machinery, and its excellence when constructed, render 
them able successfully to compete with the old country. 
No one can deny the existence of great ingenuity on the 
part of the American mechanicians, and I deem it simple 
justice to place their achievements as a worthy continua- 
tion of what had been effected in this country by their 
ancestors and pursued since by their cousins." 

Last but not least in this interesting summary is the 
valuable trade of Fairbanks & Co., manufacturers of Amer- 
ican railway and other weigh bridges, rolling-mill, ware- 
house, and other weighing machines, adjusted to the stand- 
ards of all nations; also, platform, counter, and small 
scales for farmers, millers, seedsmen, dairy, and general 
use. Such is the variety of these scales that they range 
from the tiniest contrivances to weigh letters, drugs, and 
gold, up to the railway scales capable of ascertaining the 
weight of an entire train at once. This firm is well known 
in Philadelphia. Their indefatigable European agent and 
representative, our fellow- citizen, Mr. George C. Ewing, 
Jr., is now established at 34 King William Street, London. 
Fairbanks' scales are found everywhere. They can weigh 
from a pennyweight to a boat-load of five hundred tons. 
You find them -in China, Japan, India, Persia, Turkey, 
Arabia, and the Barbary States. Caravans of camels 
loaded with these scales tread the deserts of Arabia, and 
Chinese junks carry them far into the vast interior of 
the Celestial Empire. Their yearly sales amount to over 
two millions of dollars. Their annual product is fifty 
thousand scales of three hundred different sizes. It is not 



SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 247 

many years since three members of this family, one of 
whom still survives, founded the famous factory at St. 
Johnsbury, Vermont, which is to-day the largest of the 
kind in the world. It employs six hundred men, and with 
its branches gives work to four hundred more. They are 
now used everywhere in England, and are recognized as 
standard weighing instruments. There were four thousand 
seven hundred and forty-seven scales manufactured at their 
works during the month of April, 1875, being nine hundred 
and seventy-five more than during the same time in 1874. 
The company are now filling a large order to be sent to 
Mexico and St. Petersburg. An instance of the immense 
patronage extended to this wonderful invention is the single 
fact that in the past seventeen years seventeen millions four 
hundred and ninety-seven thousand three hundred and 
twenty-five live animals have been weighed upon Fair- 
banks' scales in the Union stock-yards of Chicago, a total 
that would outweigh the entire human population of North 
and South America; and of the sixteen hundred now in use 
on railroads not one has yet been reported as breaking down. 
These scales have been put on the leading railways of 
England, and a thirty-ton scale is now being constructed 
for the Midland, between Liverpool and London. The 
company are also engaged in fulfilling a contract for eleven 
thirty-ton scales in Sweden, besides having furnished a 
number of scales of smaller sizes. But they are applied to 
hundreds of other purposes, not only for light but for the 
heaviest weights. Fourteen different European govern- 
ments have adopted these standard scales, including Rus- 
sia, France, Denmark, Spain, Prussia, and Austria. Their 
value on the railroads in Europe, not alone in America, is 
proved by their extraordinary accuracy, and necessitated 
by the constant blunders in the weighing of baggage, a 
source of endless annoyance to travellers. The highest 
prizes were awarded for these scales at the Paris Exhibi- 



248 SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 

tion in 1867, at the Vienna Exposition in 1873, and at the 
great fairs in New York, Lowell, Baltimore, Cincinnati, 
and Atlanta. The imperial order of the '-Knightly" 
Cross was conferred by the Emperor of Austria upon Thad- 
deus Fairbanks, the surviving inventor of Fairbanks' scales. 
W. Hepworth Dixon, the well-known English writer, has 
written several letters from St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in the 
past few years, which were printed in the Edinburgh Daily 
Review, and I cannot better close this description than by 
an extract from his account of the town where the scales 
are chiefly manufactured : 

" We are seated in a small but handsome public gallery in front of Bier- 
stadt's famous picture of the Yosemite Valley, with the glorious domes 
and sparkling cataract of spray, crowned by a mass of gray and silvery 
cloud, through which the blue of the pacific sky breaks here and there — 
the masterpiece of this great master of American landscape. Some other 
specimens of the young and energetic American school — landscapes by 
James Hart and by William Hart ; an Indian summer in the woods, by T. 
McEntee ; an emigrant's corral on the prairie, by Samuel Coleman, and 
a noticeable view of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson Valley, by S. 
R. Gifford — court our eyes and dare our criticism. Books, cases, carvings, 
lie about — each choice in kind, and useful for illustration of peculiar arts. 
Behind us stretches a suite of rooms containing books, and what belongs to 
books when they are used for serious work, a collection well selected, 
brightly bound, and handsomely shelved, rich in works of English litera- 
ture, and especially rich, as such a collection ought to be, in works on 
American history and topography, beginning with the earliest notice of the 
Indian tribes and coming down to the last debate on the Maine liquor law. 
Behind this library lies a public reading-room, supplied with magazines 
and periodicals in great variety, both English and American. Gallery, 
library, and reading-room are free to all the inhabitants of the place, and 
to all strangers who are properly introduced. A cosier place to read and 
write in could hardly be contrived ; in fact, this Athenaeum is a literary and 
artistic gem. 

" Where are we? In some great and wealthy capital — some city of his- 
toric fame, the home of great traditions and the heir of much inherited 
wealth? Are we in a university — a rival of Harvard and Yale? In none 
of these; in none like these. We are not in a city — not even in a town. 
Our place is called a village. 

" Let us step out of the picture-gallery, leaving Bierstadt's stately domes 



SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 



249 



and shining spray, into the street. It is a wide, green lane, with lines of 
maple-trees in all the splendor of an Indian summer in their leaves. This 
green lane is Main Street. On either side stand cottages and mansions, 
built of wood and painted white, with delicate green shutters and veran- 
das running over fluted columns. Here and there rise piles of greater 
consequence ; a handsome court-house and town-hall, in front of which 
stands Mead's fine group of ' Fallen Heroes.' A still more handsome 
building called the Academy — a high school conducted by Rev. H. T. 
Fuller — and adjoining it South Hall, a residence for the principal and 
boarding-house for the students. Here is a church and here a grammar 
school. Turning towards the edifice we have left, we find it is a red-brick 
building, in the Tudor style, not wanting in a kind of solid dignity. The 
sky lines are good. Yet the place is only a New England village, with the 
population of two or three London streets. 

" Lovely as the scenery of a dream is the situation of St. Johnsbury. 
Sliding out of White River Junction, a spot to recall some favorite nook 
in the Neckar Valley, you push into a gorge of singular beauty, with along 
reach of the Connecticut River lying under high and wooded hills of varied 
form and wondrous brightness. Pine and maple, oak and chestnut, clothe 
the slopes. White houses lie about ; some in secret places, utterly alone 
with nature, others in groups and village systems, with their gardens, fruit- 
trees, and patches of maize, in which the orange gourds lie burning in the 
sun. Sometimes the hills fall back, and give up grassy banks and even 
meadow to the grazier. Then the scene is animated by herds of cattle and 
squads of horses. But the charm of the landscape is the water — first, of 
the Connecticut, afterwards of the Passumpsic ; for these water-courses 
combine the beauties of flowing rivers with those of mountain streams — 
here frisking over rocks in small cascades, there singing in and out of 
broken stones and over pebbly beds, now sweeping slowly, with a kind of 
matronly dignity, between the level banks. A pause occurs; we leave the 
cars ; we mount a gentle slope ; and we are in the main street of St. Johns- 
burv, with its Athenaeum, court-house, and Academy in our front and on 
our flank, and leaf-strewn avenues on our right and left. 

"Eye of man has rarely seen, and heart of man has hardly conceived, a 
residence of men more perfect, save for those who cannot stand the healthy 
rigor of a Vermont winter. Nature has been lavish of her gifts. A ridi;e 
of hill — here called a plain — rises between two streams, the Passumpsic 
River and Sleeper's Creek. Uplands start from the nether bank of both 
these streams, and shut us in with green and purple heights, on which the 
sunrise and sunset play with wondrous harmonies of light and shade. This 
village is made of scales. We seem to eat scales and drink scales. We 
are lodged in scales, are weighed in scales, and driven about in scales. We 
have our minds engaged with scales, with casting, notching, polishing, and 
testing scales, from sunrise to sunset. Scales are in the air, in the roadway, 
L* 



250 



SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 



and on the waters. Scales have dredged the Sleeper's Creek and bridged 
the Passumpsic River. Scales have brought one railway line up the valley 
from White River Junction, and are pushing another line through the 
mountains to St. Albans and Lake Champlain. In short, scales are here 
the power, the inspiration, and the means of all material progress. In other 
places justice may have one pair of scales; in St. Tohnsbury civilization 
herself would be nothing without a thousand pair of scales." 

A. B. G. Northrop, recently appointed Commissioner of 
Education for the Empire of Japan, writes of St. Johns- 
bury as follows: 

" It has long been a marvel how such a concern could be made a per- 
manent success for nearly fifty years in this remote corner of the State, so 
far from tide-water, with heavy and expensive freightage, the items of coal 
and iron being yearly about ten thousand tons, with numerous other sup- 
plies from Boston or New York, and the necessity of transporting the 
manufactured products to the seaboard. Throughout New England the 
tendency of manufacturers has been from the interior to the seaside. The 
cost of transportation has led them to abandon old sites and water-privi- 
leges far inland and build nearer the great markets. For this reason, though 
they must there run by steam only, manufactories are multiplying in New 
Haven and along'the shore to New York more rapidly than elsewhere in 
Connecticut. But in St. Johnsbury, notwithstanding these great disad- 
vantages, the business has steadily grown and become a success, which, in 
view of the difficulties overcome, is unparalleled in this country. 

" Now, what is the explanation of this marvellous prosperity? What is 
the condition of the workmen? These points I came here to investigate. 
For this purpose I inspected the works, covering ten acres, examined the 
processes, talked freely with the hands as well as with the owners and with 
the citizens of St. johnsbury not connected with the factory. To observe 
the home-life of the operatives, I entered their houses and conversed with 
their families. These inquiries brought out facts and inferences which will, 
I think, be of interest and use alike to employers and employed generally. 

"There is a superior class of workmen in this establishment. All are 
males. Their work is proof of skill. Their looks and conversation indi- 
cate intelligence. They are mostly Americans, and come from the sur- 
rounding towns. More than half of them are married and settled here as 
permanent residents, interested in the schools and in all that relates to the 
prosperity of the place. Many of them own their houses, with spacious 
grounds for yard and garden, and often a barn for the poultry and cow. 
These houses are pleasing in their exterior, neatly furnished, and many of 
them supplied with pianos and tapestry carpets. How different from the 



SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 



25 1 



nomadic factory population swarming from Canada and from other lands 
to densely crowded tenement-houses, who never bind themselves to civili- 
zation by home, much less by a house of their own ! The tenement-houses, 
also, are inviting and comfortable, and surrounded with unusually large 
grounds. The town is managed on temperance principles, and drunken- 
ness, disorder, and strife among the hands are almost unknown. Most of 
them are church-goers, many of them church-members. 

" I examined the pay-roll and found the wages very liberal. The work- 
men seem well satisfied on that score. Wherever it is possible the work 
is paid for by the piece. The work itself is largely done by machinery, 
and that sui generis, invented here and for the special and peculiar results 
here reached. The men are encouraged to expedite their processes by 
new inventions, and share largely in the benefits of all such improvements. 
I conversed with one of the hands who invented a curious apparatus by 
which he marks a hundred register-bars with greater accuracy and in but 
little more time than he could formerly do one. He now finds working 
by the job especially profitable. Paying by the piece has worked well 
here. The men say it is fairer to pay for results than by hours. The 
worth of labor depends upon its products. This plan stimulates industry, 
promotes skill, and fosters inventiveness.- It apportions awards to the 
quantity and quality of the work done. But more than all, this plan is 
nized by the men as just and satisfactory. With the time left 
practically to their own choice, there is no eight-hour movement here. 
No ' labor league' or union has ever existed — no strike ever been sug- 
d. Tins would be a poor place for the Internationals to preach the 
gospel of idleness or agrarianism. Imagine one of these delegates just 
arrived at St. Johnsbury and beginning his arguments for a strike with 

Mr. , whose house I visited ! 1 fancy him replying somewhat as 

he did to my inquiry: 'Why is it you never have any strikes here.' 1 ' 
'Well, we have a good set of nun to start with — temperate and moral. 
Then we are well paid. Wages have often been advanced. The owners 
take an interest in the men.' " 

From this somewhat rapid summary, necessarily incom- 
plete, the American people will understand that while 
their country is a new field to European skill and capital, 
Europe is not less interesting to them. The London Daily 
Telegraph, commenting upon the ruin of the Bank of 
California and the death of Mr. Ralston, says, " We in 
England are, for the present at any rate, fortunately secure 
from such catastrophes. Our wealth is so vast, and our 
trade upon the whole so sound, that no speculator, or even 



252 



SALE OF AMERICAN PRODUCTS ABROAD. 



ring of speculators, has the power to destroy an essentially- 
sound concern; and combinations such as that of the New 
York gold ring, or of Messrs. Flood and O'Brien, are prac- 
tically unknown in the magic region which lies east of 
Temple Bar." 

This suggestion, though somewhat boastful, is distinctly 
true as to the large wealth accumulated in London and in 
most of the European capitals. This wealth, much of it, 
is secured at very low rates of interest, yet there can be 
no doubt that as our American panic passes off, a whole- 
some condition must follow the succession of calamities 
under which we have been prostrated, Europe will again 
turn to the United States as at once the most remuner- 
ative, and, after such an experience as that we have en- 
dured, the safest spot of earth in which to invest money: 
the most remunerative, because the most productive and 
prosperous ; the safest, because rescued from all dangers 
of revolution and war ; and in the same connection we 
must not forget, with the several examples I have quoted, 
that there is no portion of the globe in which the peculiar 
skill and originality of the American people will find so 
wide and so tempting an arena upon which to exercise 
their genius and skill as in the wealthy countries of the 
Old World. 

London, September, 1875. 



LONDON JOURNALISM ON AMERICAN TOPICS. 253 



XLII. 

London Journalism on American Topics. — Politico-Religious Issues. 

It is really surprising, notwithstanding a steady crusade 
of criticism upon the United States, how much sincere 
praise and good counsel are intermingled with the censor- 
ship. To read the London daily newspapers is in itself a 
task, for each is a sort of cyclopedia of news and comment. 
London is the focus of modern commerce, where the largest 
amount of the world's money is accumulated, and where 
every subject interesting to human development is con- 
stantly examined and discussed. It is noteworthy that 
nothing attracts so much attention as the growth of the 
United States, and you may rest assured that while our 
good traits are not concealed, the weak features of our sys- 
tem are constantly laid open. To-day, for instance, The 
Times has two articles bearing upon this point. One, on 
the appointment of the six new cardinals at Rome by Pope 
Pius, closes as follows : 

" The mere presence of Cardinal McCloskey would suffice to teach the 
authorities of the Roman Church that they must be very cautious indeed' 
in the practical assertion of her claims to absolute supremacy. To the 
United States of America they can look with some degree of comfort. 
There emigration from the Old World, and especially from Ireland, is rais- 
ing a Catholic community which may in time be more numerous than that 
of some exclusive Catholic countries. The American Catholics are build- 
ing splendid churches and spreading rapidly. They have gained great 
political power, and they sometimes control the election in certain towns. 
With much foresight they have bought large strips of land by the side of 
the railways which run westward, and thus their Church will soon have 
a princely endowment. They may also win many converts from rich 
classes eager to find some greater relief from the bareness of democracy 
than the bareness of Protestantism. But the prospects of the Catholics in 
America would indeed be blighted it they were to make arrogant claims of 

22 



254 LONDON JOURNALISM ON AMERICAN TOPICS. 

political superiority. Somehow they must accommodate the overshadow- 
ing pretensions of the Vatican to the modest part they have to play yet a 
while. They must not only make terms with the democracy, but speak its 
language, use its instruments, and try to outdo it at its own work. Nay, 
the Vatican itself must soon set itself to the same task, if it would avert 
losses in the Old World which will more than outweigh the gains in the 
New. The present Pope, of course, will never so far bend to the neces- 
sities of modern society, but his successor will doubtless be more pliable, 
and so elastic are the doctrines of the Papacy, when manipulated skilfully, 
that Rome may still make a bold bid for democratic favor. Ultimate suc- 
cess she will not attain, for the genius of her whole system is alien from the 
free life of modern society ; but she may gain temporary triumphs even in 
places where she now excites animosity by the vehemence of her intoler- 
ance." 

The other article treats of the prospects for the supply of 
food or wheat to Great Britain for the year 1876, and con- 
cludes as follows : 

"A very small rise of price in our market tells amazingly upon countries 
where money is scarce, where it is more a matter of account than a thing a 
man can see and handle, and where fixed deductions leave out of every pay- 
ment a very small margin for the nominal recipient. It would be most inter- 
esting to see whether a rise often shillings a quarter would really fail to extract 
from the rye-eating populations of Russia and Germany more than the tenth 
or eleventh of the wheat crop — all they send us now ; still more, whether it 
would fail to draw hither from France more than a fortieth of her own wheat. 
She is holding on for good prices, Mr. Caird thinks, and, notwithstanding 
her reverses, is not an easy seller. We once received 1,800,000 quarters 
from her at fifty shillings ; but that, it seems, is not likely soon to recur. But 
Ave have to go further for our chief purveyors. When people talk of our 
putting our fortunes, our lives, and our national existence into the hands of 
foreigners, they may not be always aware that it is the citizen of the United 
States and the Canadian whom we have made the masters of our destiny. 
More than half our foreign wheat comes from them, and it follows that the 
American harvest is more important to us than the Irish or Scotch, and, it 
may be said, nearly as important as the English itself. The difficulty of any 
estimate lies, not in the remoteness, for distance is nothing in these days, 
but in the fact that every item of information comes through those who are 
deeply interested in keeping the truth to themselves However, they can- 
not quite conceal it, for they buy and sell, and the public prices tell tales. 
Mr. Caird thinks the prospect not so cheerful in that direction. There have 
been short crops both on the Eastern and Western shores, and the question 
is said to be everywhere one of deficiency, more or less. Let us hope that 



LONDON JOURNALISM ON AMERICAN TOPICS. 255 

it is somewhat over-early to know the truth when the harvest is scarcely 
yet in. At any rate, from one quarter or another we cannot doubt that our 
wants will be well supplied." 

In reference to popular education in England compared 
with popular education in America, the Daily News, lately, 
commenting upon Mr. Gladstone's recent speech before the 
Havvarden Literary Institute, says, — 

" It would be superfluous to dwell on the advantages of such institutions 
as that which Mr. Gladstone addressed in helping the work of popular 
education. They are not, as a rule, very common or very successful in 
England, or at least in the south of England, and we do not know whether 
they are very strong in Wales. In some of our northern and midland 
counties they flourish with a certain vigor. In Scotland they really consti- 
tute an important element in the national education. In many of the 
States of the American Union they find their greatest favor. A town, a 
city of a dozen years' existence and a street and a half of population, will 
have its lyceum, with its reading-rooms, its class-rooms, and its winter 
course of lectures. These institutions, some philosophers say, engender 
superficial ways of reading and thinking. But we are inclined to believe 
that the choice is between superficial reading and no reading; and we 
should like to know how many really profound readers all our universities 
together annually turn out. Mr. Gladstone thinks that in all classes 
throughout this country we are a rather indolent people as regards mental 
cultivation." 

On the same subject The Times of the same day makes 
the following admission : 

" But the one great obstacle to be overcome is that of which Mr. Glad- 
stone spoke in his reference to Scotland. It is the utter inefficiency of 
the education of English laborers for any permanent intellectual culture. 
Mental culture and the enjoyment of intellectual pleasures are impossible 
without a thorough facility in reading. Until this faculty is acquired, the 
perusal of a book or a newspaper is the very reverse of a recreation. It 
is an exercise of the attention of the most fatiguing kind ; and after a long 
day's work it is too much to expect of a laboring man. The greatest prob- 
lem, perhaps, remaining to be solved in popular education in England is 
that of abolishing this preliminary incompetence. There can be no insu- 
perable difficulty in the task ; for, as we have said, it seems to be accom- 
plished on the Continent, and is probably accomplished in America. But 
in England, at present, the average schoolboy is pushed just far enough up 
the hill of the six standards to roll back with great velocity the moment the 



256 LONDON JOURNALISM ON AMERICAN TOPICS. 

pressure of school is removed. Reading and writing have never become 
to him anything but troublesome labors, and he feels no temptation to seek 
recreation in occupations to which they form the avenue. The dullest of 
those indolent intellects which Mr. Gladstone recognizes in other classes of 
society finds an occasional diversion from grosser amusements in a novel ; 
and a laboring boy need not be clever to read well enough to enjoy a 
similarly harmless stimulation of a languid mental circulation. The lit- 
erary and scientific institutes of a generation ago began by putting the cart 
before the horse ; and we have been slowly putting the motive-power in 
its right place ever since. By all means let such institutions be sustained 
and utilized in the manner of which Mr. Gladstone sets so good an exam- 
ple. But their vitality, as he says, depends on the intelligence of the mass 
of the population, and that depends on the success of the schoolmaster. 
We have now provided the machinery of education in abundance, and we 
have no lack of exhortations to make use of it. Will no one set the ex- 
ample or show the way of laying the necessary foundations for this intel- 
lectual superstructure ?" 

Colonel Muter, in the Anglo-American Times, of the 
17th, commences an article on the Roman Catholics in 
America as follows : 

" It is noteworthy, though not much noted, to witness the decline in the 
spirit of animosity exhibited by the Irish in America towards England. 
As the field for the exercise of the agitators' eloquence narrowed, in the 
decrease of the sentiment upon which they worked, fewer were enticed, 
and the two causes acting and reacting on each other have carried ' Irish 
grievances' out of the category of insufferable bores, so long inflicted 
upon foreign countries, especially the United States. It is noticed in the 
British Colonies how admirably adapted the Irish are to make prosperous 
and contented settlers, and they would long before have lost the ranting 
character acquired in America, had it not been that the masses, found 
grouped in a few cities, furnished the professional agitator with a profitable 
means for exercising his vocation. When his denunciation of English 
tyranny had elicited free contributions, it became necessary that something 
practical should be done for the money, hence the Fenian invasions, which 
cast discredit on the agitators, and lessened materially the area for their 
operations, which ever since has been a diminishing domain. Those who 
read any of the well-edited papers of the Irish-Americans will perceive 
the change very distinctly marked. There is none of that wholesale abuse 
of England and the English which formerly characterized such organs; 
none of that disregard for facts and the truths of history which made un- 
prejudiced persons receive their assertions with a -discount so liberal. The 
questions are discussed with moderation and on their merits, according to 



LONDON JOURNALISM ON AMERICAN TOPICS. 257 

the light of the journalists who deal with them; and, instead of relating 
to their kindred in a distant island, these questions for the most part now 
have reference to themselves, as members of the community settled on the 
continent of America." 

Mr. Horace White, late of the Chicago Tribune, has 
secured the endorsement of the Standard, the leading Con- 
servative organ, as will be seen from the following: 

" We would invite the attention of our readers to a very interesting 
article in this month's number of the Fortnightly Review, entitled 'An 
American's Impressions of England.' It is the first paper in the number, 
and will be found exceedingly well worth perusal. The opinions formed 
by an able, observant, and impartial foreigner on the institutions, customs, 
manners, and circumstances amidst which we have grown up from child- 
hood are always instructive. But they are especially so in the present 
instance. An American, speaking our own language and inheriting so 
large a portion of our traditions, feelings, and modes of thought, is neces- 
sarily better able to enter into the spirit of our social and political system 
than the native of a continental country can possibly be. And Mr. White 
is a distinguished American writer. Moreover, Mr. White conveys his 
impressions by drawing a contrast between his own country and ours. 
This it is which constitutes the special interest of his paper. Of all foreign 
countries the United States most nearly resemble the United Kingdom. 
Tiny have been settled by our own people, they have inherited our 
language, our religion, and our institutions. Have they upon new soil 
and under a democratic form of government developed a higher civiliza- 
tion, or, at ;8ay rate, a better and a happier society? Or have they by 
transplantation lost any of the excellences of the old home? Or, finally, 
h ive they simply perpetuated the prepossessions which they took with 
them ? We know the answers which Englishmen give to these questions, 
but what is the reply of a cultured and thoughtful American revisiting the 
country of his ancestors ? The key-note of his remark is struck in the 
following passage: 'In recording some of the impressions which a first 
visit to England makes upon an American, I mention this as the most 
striking in its effect upon my own mind. The new Republic has, if any- 
thing, veered towards Monarchy, while the old Monarchy has manifestly 
drifted to Republicanism. It seems rather a startling thing to say, that 
England is more republican than the United States, but I have ventured 
to say it in an American publication, and I repeat it here." In this pas- 
it will be understood that by ' republican,' Mr. White means a 
country in which 'public opinion acts more speedily, surely, and effect- 
ively' than in another. In this sense the statement will not be new to 
readers of the Standard. We have often pointed out, more particularly 

22* 



2 5 8 



POLITICO-RELIGIOUS ISSUES. 



on the occasions of the great Democratic victories last autumn, that in the 
United States public opinion has no ready means of acting upon the 
Government ; that, on the contrary, a discredited Administration may 
survive its popularity for years, and a party which has lost its hold upon the 
people may, through the Senate and the Presidency, thwart the will of 
the nation, and may lose power just when it is recovering favor. But we 
are glad to be able to cite in our support the opinion of an educated and 
travelled American. With true political insight Mr. White perceives 
clearly that the existence of an aristocracy in no way militates against his 
argument, and he has the courage to say so. And then he proceeds to 
administer a lesson to our small clique of republican agitators, which their 
importance certainly does not deserve, but which, nevertheless, as the un- 
biased opinion of an observant American, has an interest quite apart from 
the persons to whom it is immediately addressed. ' In the wider sense," 
he writes, ' it appears to me that the republican agitators of England have 
already got all and more than they can ever attain by copying after us.' 
And having thus plainly intimated his contempt for the folly of these agi- 
tators, Mr. White goes on to say, what all competent judges feel, that 
universal suffrage has worked mischievously in the United States. ' That 
it would have been better for us in America, especially in the large cities,' 
• — is his outspoken expression — ' if some such test had been adopted and 
adhered to, in place of universal suffrage, is the opinion of nearly all who 
have either education or property." 

Are we on the eve of a great religious controversy in the 
United States and Europe ? Are the evil passions of Native 
Americanism in 1844 and the paroxysmal excesses of Know 
Nothingism in 1854 to be revived? In looking over the 
field there would seem to be an obvious affirmative answer 
to these questions, and yet perhaps a warning word in ad- 
vance may save us from the calamities of another similar 
excitement. With no desire, certainly, to provoke a result 
that all must deplore, it may serve a historical purpose to 
summarize the various symptoms of the times. 

I. The Papal Nuncio in Madrid, in a remarkable circular 
to the Spanish bishops, protests against the religious tolera- 
tion granted under the proposed new Spanish constitution, 
which it denounces as "a false principle in a nation emi- 
nently Catholic." The following is the text of the offen- 
sive article in the proposed constitution: 



POLITICO-RELIGIOUS ISSUES. 



2 59 



" No one can be molested on Spanish territory for his religious opinions, 
nor for the exercise of his respective worship, unless necessary from the 
respect due to Christian morality." 

This passage is declared by the Nuncio to be "fraught 
with disastrous consequences to the Spanish nation, which 
from time immemorial has been in the possession of the 
precious treasure of Catholic unity." 

II. The formal denunciation of the Masonic order in 
England and France, and the natural resistance of the or- 
ganization, composing more than a million Freemasons, to 
this ostracism. 

III. The appointment of a list of six new Cardinals by 
the Pope, five of them Italians and one a Frenchman, 
which is characterized by the London Times as a practical 
nomination of an Ultramontane successor by Pio Nono, 
who, having recovered from "his brief dream of liberal- 
ism," follows that by "a war against modern society in 
the syllabus," and selects Italian cardinals solely because 
of their sympathy with the obvious preparations of Jesuita 
and other extreme Catholics. 

IV. The increasing virulence of the contest between the 
Roman Catholics and Protestants in Germany. 

V. The manifest signs of bitter antagonism between the 
Roman Catholics and the Low Church element of the 
Church of England led by Mr. Gladstone. 

But it is when we turn to the United States, or rather to 
the North American Continent, without at all including the 
too visible indications in South America, that we find rea- 
son for the most gloomy forebodings: 

First. The late scandalous riot at Montreal, on the second 
of September, against the decision of the Judicial Commit- 
tee of the British Privy Council, ordering the cemetery 
authorities of Montreal to permit the ecclesiastical burial 
of the body of Joseph Guibord, who died six years ago a 
devout Roman Catholic, and whose remains were refused 



260 POLITICO-RELIGIOUS ISSUES. 

interment because he was too liberal to please the Canadian 
Ultramontanism. The facts of this frantic outburst, com- 
posed of a mob of five hundred French Canadian roughs, 
who prevented the burial of the dead body, are already 
sufficiently familiar in America. 

Second. The movement of the Roman Catholics of Ohio 
in regard to the school question, vigorously denounced by 
the Democratic leader, Senator Thurman, and leading 
almost irresistibly to the defeat of the Democratic party 
of that State in the October election. 

Third. The excited discussion in New Jersey, produced 
by the circular of the Roman Catholic bishop denouncing 
several of the proposed amendments to the constitution of 
New Jersey as hostile to the interests of the Church of Rome. 

Fourth. The organization of an anti-Catholic party in 
Maryland, a State containing a very large and influential 
Roman Catholic population. 

I have called these symptoms, and they might be multi- 
plied by other references, but they are sufficient indications 
of the temper of the public mind at the present moment. 
Some prophets read these as sure forerunners of the over- 
throw of the Roman Catholic Church, and insist that in 
proportion as the Church advances in its exactions and 
reiterates its extremest doctrines, it will only serve to in- 
crease the antagonism of its adversaries; and thus society 
will be arrayed in two hostile sections, one to defend what 
are called the prerogatives of the Roman Catholics, and 
the other to resist and put them down. Perhaps a religious 
frenzy may completely obliterate all other issues in 1S76, 
and those who have been looking for divisions in parties 
on financial questions may be surprised by a revolution 
arising from entirely different causes. In any case the 
subject is certain to awaken intense agitation ; and in this 
aspect it possesses extraordinary interest to the statesmen 
and publicists of all nationalities. We may readily con- 



SLANG— AMERICAN AND ENGLISH. 2 6i 

sole ourselves in the United States that whatever the revul- 
sion with us may be, it cannot end in a conflict of arms. 
We have a conservative element which opposed and sur- 
vived the two religious excitements of 1844 and 1854, and 
after all our best remedy is the ballot-box ; but this cannot 
be said of Continental Europe, where there are already too 
many other turbulent elements at work not to make of this 
new demonstration a probable cause of speedy civil wars. 
England, like the United States, possesses a strong barrier 
against the encroachments of the Pope upon one side and 
the evils of infidelity upon the other in a Church nomi- 
nally national here, and almost equally so with us, which in 
its conservatism affords full scope to form sentimentality 
and tradition in religion, at the same time that it is the 
bulwark of a determined Protestantism. 
London, September, 1875. 



LXIII. 

Slang — American and English. 

Every English writer, without exception, insists that an 
American abroad is easily and instantly recognized by the 
peculiar tones of his voice ; and even Anthony Trollope, 
a very liberal man, does not hesitate, repeatedly in his last 
novel, "The Way We Live Now," to complain of the 
nasal twang of his transatlantic cousins. Let me admit at 
the start that there is nothing more delightful than the 
conversation of an educated Englishman or Englishwoman ; 
but the moment you pass from their < irele you are assailed 
at every quarter by a mingling of dialects, and in many 
cases a most incomprehensible jargon. I often find it 



262 SLANG -AMERICAN AND ENGLISH. 

difficult to understand an English clergyman, and it is the 
common remark of Americans who visit the theatres that 
they lose a large portion of the play in consequence of the 
rapid and indistinct enunciation of actors in subordinate 
parts. The same observation may be made with justice of 
most of the speakers in the House of Commons. Take 
out Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Gladstone, Mr. Bright, and a few 
more, and it is next to impossible to comprehend what 
nearly all the others say. 

Whatever may be said of the Americans, whether they 
come from the far North or from the far South, however 
they may be distinguished by the characteristic idioms of 
their vicinities, you can always understand them ; and this 
cannot be said of a very large majority of the people of 
England, particularly those who are popularly called the 
laboring classes. The New Englanders are indeed easily 
recognized. But where in our country have we had better 
orators than the New England orators? Where has the 
English language been better spoken than by Webster, 
Everett, Sumner, Winthrop, and Charles Francis Adams ? 
If you go to the South, who can ever forget the splendor 
of the diction of Clay, Hilliard, Wise, Benjamin, William 
C. Preston, and John C. Breckenridge and his illustrious 
uncles? while of the Middle and Western States quite as 
much may be said of their representative men. The most 
popular orator in England is the man who approaches 
nearest the American style, — John Bright. 

A few days ago the London Standard, in a leader on the 
negro riots at Clinton, Mississippi, said that the outbreak 
was denominated, "in that peculiar slang which is fast 
becoming the language of America, a ' big scare.' " Now, 
let us consider for a moment whether what is called slang 
is confined to the United States. You will be surprised to 
learn that nearly all our catch-words are derived from Eng- 
land, and those that are exclusively our own, though by no 



SLANG— AMERICAN AND ENGLISH. 



263 



means commended to imitation, are often productive of the 
rarest humor, a forcible illustration of which is the popular- 
ity of the writings of " Artemus Ward," "Orpheus C. Kerr," 
" Mark Twain," Bret Harte, and their copyists in England. 
Without slang, so to speak, none of these original humor- 
ists would have an audience of any kind. The old Eng- 
lish slang was coarse and vulgar. The word itself is of 
Gypsy origin, yet it has been so universally adopted and 
naturalized in Great Britain as now to pervade the entire 
body of the best English conversation. " Beastly" and 
"nasty" are constantly used even by elegant ladies in their 
daily discourse. "Nasty" is employed to indicate ill-tem- 
peredaxid cross-grained, while " beastly" is more familiarly 
applied to bad weather. " Screwed" is the common ap- 
pellation applied to an intoxicated person; and surely it 
is a peculiar slang which transforms a sixpence into a " tan- 
ner," a shilling into a "bob," and a half-crown into a 
"bull." The word "awful" is made to perform many 
parts in England. You hear on all sides of an "awful 
fine woman," " I am awful sorry," " it was awfully grand ;"■ 
and then follows "jolly," a word as commonly used here 
as any other in the English language; as, for instance, 
"awfully jolly;" "he is jolly;" "she is jolly." The 
expression, "a bad egg," is not of American, but of Eng- 
lish invention. " Banged up" also comes from this side of 
the water. " Batter," to designate roystery or debauchery, 
originates here. "Biddy," an Irish servant; "bilbo," 
a Toledo sword ; " bilk," a cheat or swindler ; " billy." a 
policeman's truncheon; "blinker," a black eye; "bloody," 
an expletive used to intensify a phrase; "blow," to ex- 
pose; "blowout," a feast; "blue devils," delirium tre- 
mens; "bog-trotter," an Irishman; "bone," to steal; 
"boozy," fuddled ; "bore," a troublesome friend ; "bosh," 
nonsense; "bother," trouble; "bottle-holder," a prize- 
ring term ; " bracelets," handcuffs ; " brags," impudence; 



264 SLANG— AMERICAN AND ENGLISH. 

"break the ice," to make a commencement; "brick," 
ajollygood fellow; " broadbrim," a Quaker ; "bruiser," 
a righting man; "buffer," a good-humored old man; 
"bully," a braggart; "cake," a flat. All these and a 
thousand others that I could select, though much affected 
in America, have come from England, and not a few of 
them drawn from Shakspeare. 

When you pass out of the educated circle and mingle with 
the middle-class English the dropping and misapplication of 
the " h" is almost without exception. Even among profes- 
sional people I have noticed men and women saying " 'orse" 
and " 'ouse," " hegg" and " hice ;" while as you descend 
into the regions where reading and writing are almost un- 
known you find yourself in the midst of an atmosphere, so 
to speak, in which what is called the mother tongue is 
utterly unintelligible. The distinctive manner and pro- 
nunciation in Yorkshire and Lancashire are well known 
through the medium of English novelists, and a capital 
illustration of the varied dialects of the interior is given by 
the lamented Hawthorne, who describes a conversation with 
a Westmoreland peasant at an inn in Grasmere, "A very 
civil, well-behaved, kindly sort of person, of a simple char- 
acter, which I took to belong to the class and locality rather 
than to himself individually. I could not very well under- 
stand all that he said, owing to his provincial dialect, and 
when he spoke to his own countrymen, or to the women of 
the house, I really could but just catch a word here and 
there." Lately, on a Saturday evening after paying a visit 
at the Westminster Hotel, I turned a sharp corner and found 
myself in the midst of a mass of people marketing for the 
next week, and it seemed impossible that this countless 
crowd should be within a stone's throw of the Houses of 
Parliament and Westminster Abbey. A more dissolute, 
wretched, debauched assemblage I never witnessed. It was 
not English they spoke, but an indescribable and unpro- 



SLANG— AMERICAN AND ENGLISH. 265 

nounceable babble. Yet these are people who glory in 
speaking the tongue of Shakspeare and Milton ! 

Our own slang is also used freely in England, and if you go 
into one of their fashionable drinking-places you are amused 
at the catalogue of American drinks printed for the delecta- 
tion of Brother Jonathan and his English imitators. Here 
are "eye-openers," "appetizers," "settlers," "digesters," 
"smashes," "'cocktails," "cobblers," " breast -warmers," 
"blizzards," etc. ; but in our dictionary of slang we have 
nothing that calls champagne .phiz, or mixed ale and porter 
* af-and- af. Even " loafer," supposed to belong to us, is an 
improvement upon "loper," a very early English phrase, 
and doubtless comes from "landlubber." "Lingo" (talk) 
comes from the Italian. " Mare's nest," a supposed dis- 
covery, is of cockney origin. The word "monkey" is 
made to perform many parts. When an Englishman wants 
to speak of another's ill-temper he says he has "got his 
monkey up." A military "monkey" is the instrument 
which drives a rocket ; a money "monkey" is five hundred 
pounds ; a legal " monkey with a long tail" is a mortgage; 
a sea " monkey" is a vessel that gives full allowance of grog 
to the men ; a " monkey's allowance" is to give blows in- 
stead of alms, — " more kicks than ha'pence." A "mot" 
is a girl of bad character. A " mouchey" is a Jew. The 
word "nail" also assumes many forms: " paid on the nail ;" 
"nail," to take up; "dead as a door-nail;" as, for in- 
stance, Dickens in his " Christmas Carol," when he speaks 
of Old Marley, in one paragraph says three times that Old 
Marley is as "dead as a door-nail." 

You are astonished frequently in conversation with the 
best-informed men to hear the word "rot" adopted in ex- 
planation of anything bad, disagreeable, or useless; "Oh ! 
that is rot!" "It is nothing but rot!" When an Eng- 
lishman is fatigued he is "knocked up." Strong ale is 
"knock me down;" "up to the knocker" means finely 
m 2.1 



266 SLANG— AMERICAN AND ENGLISH. 

or showily dressed; "knock-in" is the game of loo • 
"knock-outs" are disreputable persons who visit auc- 
tion-rooms and unite to purchase articles at their own 
prices. "Levy," a very common word in many parts of 
America before paper money, is a Liverpool slang phrase, 
and here means a shilling, or a sum obtained before it is 
due. " Rip" in England is a rake; an "old rip" a liber- 
tine or debauchee, a corruption of reprobate, while in 
America, according to the English derivation, it is cor- 
rectly reported as "Let her rip; I am insured." "Shunt" 
is the railroad slang to avoid or to turn aside from, and is 
equivalent to our word "shift" when applied to cars. 
"Skedaddle," heretofore supposed to be American, is de- 
clared by a writer in The Times to be excellent Scotch. 
The Americans only misapply the word, which means in 
Dumfries to spill, milkmaids saying, for example, "You 
are skedaddling all that milk." "Sky-blue" is the term 
for London milk diluted with water. " Slick" is an Amer- 
icanism, now very prevalent in England since the publica- 
tion of Judge Haliburton's facetious stories. "Slavey," a 
maid-servant; "smasher," one who passes bad coin; 
"smoke," London. Country people when going to Lon- 
don frequently say they are on their way to " the Smoke." 
"Snob," a low, vulgar, or affected person; "cad," ap- 
plied to the objectionable class immortalized by Thackeray 
under the title "snob." "Sov." is very much used as a 
contraction for sovereign, the gold coin of England. 
"Spoon" is defined to be a thing that touches a lady's 
lips without kissing them ; and "spoony," as to be spoony 
on a girl, meaning excessively fond of her. To "squeak" 
on a person is to inform against him. A " tabby" part}' is 
a party consisting entirely of women ; but a "stag" party, 
referring to a gathering composed exclusively of men, seems 
to belong to our country alone. A " welcher" is a person 
who makes a bet, never intending to pay it, and is very 



WEALTH OF LONDON. 



267 



much used on the turf, where a " welcher" is often severely 
handled when his swindling is discovered. "Whistle," 
supposed heretofore to be an Americanism, as " wet your 
whistle," is now found to be from Chaucer's " Canterbury 
Tales;" and the readers of " Pickwick" will remember how 
Sam Weller and Mr. Jingle's amiable attendant went into 
a private place in the Fleet Prison, called a "whistling- 
shop," and had a drink on the sly. 

These examples, which I might multiply indefinitely, are 
sufficient to show that, if we have our slang phrases in 
America, we cannot approach those embodied in the lan- 
guage of England, and that even what we use are in the 
main either borrowed from the mother country, or, when 
original with us, are rather suggestive of good humor than 
of profanity or vulgarity. 

London, September, 1875. 



LXIV. 
Wealth of London. — The Hebrew Race. 

More than once I have directed attention to the enor- 
mous wealth of London, represented in its accumulated 
capital, public and private. The frequent wills and bequests 
printed in the newspapers show not only the extent of this 
wealth, but also the manner of its distribution, and in this 
respect the example cannot be too strongly recommended 
to opulent people in the United States. I have now before 
me a notice of the will of the Rev. Henry Charles Morgan, 
dated May 27, 1S73, his personal estate being sworn at 
about two hundred thousand pounds, or one million of 
our money. He bequeathes one thousand pounds each 
to nineteen hospitals and benevolent institutions, and five 



268 THE HEBREW RACE. 

hundred pounds to five other charitable organizations. 
Then comes the will of Mr. Thomas Bliss Pugh, his estate 
about eighty thousand pounds, or four hundred thousand 
dollars. He gives three thousand pounds to the Royal Sea- 
bathing Infirmary and three hundred pounds each to three 
other public charities. Next we have the will of Mr. John 
Springs Morse Churchill, his estate worth sixty thousand 
pounds, or three hundred thousand dollars; a large portion 
of his fortune is given to various hospitals and churches. 

The Hebrew population of London is very large and 
influential, and their wealth, represented as they are by 
the Rothschilds and other great houses, is simply enormous. 
They have only a limited representation in Parliament. 
Baron Lionel Nathan de Rothschild was elected a Liberal 
member from the city of London in August, 1847, ar *d 
though again returned in June, 1849, in July, 1852, and 
in March, 1857, was not, owing to the exclusion of Jews 
from the House of Commons, permitted to take his seat 
and give his vote until 1858, Avhen that odious order was 
set aside by a resolution in favor of himself and his co- 
religionists. He lost his seat at the general election in 
February, 1874. One of his name and family represents 
the borough of Aylesbury ; two of the Goldsmids, also of 
Hebrew lineage, respectively sit for Reading and Rochester, 
and Mr. Serjeant Simon, a barrister in good practice, is 
M.P. for Dewsbury. There are several Hebrew baronets, 
— all created, I believe, in the reign of Queen Victoria. 
Sir George Jessel, Master of the Rolls, is a Hebrew. Mr. 
Disraeli, though a baptized member of the Established 
Church of England, has never denied his Hebrew ances- 
try, nor has he attempted to conceal his Hebrew predi- 
lections. 

The residences of the wealthy Jews in London and 
throughout the Continent may be truthfully termed palatial. 

Knowing the interest which this important and exem- 



THE HEBREW RACE. 269 

plary class takes in our Centennial, I must mention an in- 
teresting incident which lately occurred at the Great Syna- 
gogue, Duke's Place, Aldgate, it being a special thanks- 
giving for the safe return to England of Sir Mo-es Monte- 
fiore : "As is tolerably well known, about three months 
ago Sir Moses Montefiore left London for Jerusalem, in 
order to make a thorough investigation of the condition 
of the Jews of Jerusalem, and to examine into the charge 
of laziness and incapacity for work which has been 
brought against them. .The greatest interest was, of course, 
felt in the visit of Sir Moses Montefiore by the Jews of 
London, who collected in the Great Synagogue in large 
numbers on Saturday afternoon. This handsome house of 
worship was densly crowded, and many hundreds were 
unable to obtain admission. Sir Moses on being called 
to the ' Reading of the Law,' presented several large sums 
of money to the synagogue. During the service a special 
prayer was recited in Hebrew by the Rev. the Chief Rabbi, 
Dr. Adler. The choristers excellently rendered some 
selected hymns, in which the congregation joined. It was 
with the greatest difficulty that the venerable Baronet was 
able to make his way out of the synagogue, hundreds of 
the congregants pressing forward to shake hands with him 
— a wish with which Sir Moses heartily complied. In Duke 
Street the scene was even of a more enthusiastic character. 
Sir Moses Montefiore was received by a dense crowd with 
tremendous cheers, and it required great exertion to reach 
the house in Bevis Marks at which he was staying. There 
he was compelled to address the crowd from the window. 
Sir Moses, despite his great age (he will be ninety-two 
years old in October, 1876), appeared in excellent health." 
He had attended a similar ceremony in the Spanish and 
Portuguese Synagogue, Bevis Marks, on the morning of the 
day on which I saw him. 
London, September, 1875. 

23* 



270 THE SEASON AT THE SEA-SHORE. 



LXV. 

The Season at the Sea-Shore. 

This is that period of the year in London when every- 
body is " out of town," yet the great hive seems to be as 
full of busy bees as ever. It is only as you pass along the 
castellated rows of Belgravia, Grosvenor Square, Caven- 
dish Square, and Portland Place, and notice how hermeti- 
cally they are closed, save to the active operations of 
carpenters and/nasons, who are putting them in repair for 
the return of the occupants, that you realize what is meant 
by this remark. Perhaps as you saunter past the flower- 
covered borders of Hyde Park and note the absence of the 
thousands of costly equipages and gay horsemen and horse- 
women you have another realization of the absence of those 
who supply so much of the means which maintain the trade 
of the middle classes. It must also be said that the city, 
the money-centre, is dull and spiritless; but the still vast 
volume of population rolls along the Strand and Fleet 
Street incessantly during the day, and pours through the 
narrow alleys at night, while on Sunday, especially between 
six and twelve p.m., the great highway of Regent Street is 
literally thronged with people taking evening walks or 
crowding in from the public squares. 

The fashionable element is absent at the country-houses 
and along the seaside. I have more than once stated that 
just as the Americans are coming home from the ocean, just 
as they are settling back into their city residences, the exo- 
dus of the wealthy and higher classes in Europe begins; 
they leave the city for the country and the seaside, and re- 
main there sometimes into the winter. A friend of mine 



THE SEASON AT THE SEA- SHORE. 



271 



who lives near London, in one of the most delightful subur- 
ban houses, has just left for Folkestone, where he will take 
up his quarters until January in a residence built so that he 
can enjoy the ocean ; while Brighton, Scarborough, New- 
haven, Margate, Southampton, Portsmouth, and all the 
Channel Islands, of course including the Isle of Wight, 
are literally crowded with the wealthy classes. The same 
is true of the French seaside resorts, notably Dieppe, Biar- 
ritz, Boulogne, Havre, Trouville, and Deanville. It is too 
early to visit Nice and more Southern France. A friend 
writing from Nice on the 19th of September speaks of the 
excessive heat of that famous winter metropolis; but it is 
when you get near the places I have just named that you 
understand exactly what foreign life is during October, 
November, and December on the ocean -side. 

Five hours by express from Paris lands you at Havre, the 
second commercial city in France. The famous Hotel 
Frascati, directly facing the beach, is now swarming with 
guests, who come from afar to enjoy the ocean. They are 
of all nations, the French predominating; and it is amus- 
ing to see them in the full tide of their midday repast. 
Breakfast (the real dejeuner) is the great French noon 
meal. A cup .of coffee and a rusk only directly after ris- 
ing, then to work till between twelve and two, when all 
classes report themselves at breakfast — the fashionable hour 
for dinner being seven in the evening. Frascati's rooms, 
alcoves, and balconies are quite full. There is a fair pro- 
portion of English and Americans, with a k\v Germans, 
the latter having almost entirely deserted France since the 
war, with the bitter memories which make business and 
pleasure in a French town difficult, and almost impossible, 
to a German. The Germans are far more generous to the 
French in Germany; perhaps because magnanimity is the 
attribute of conquest. 

The bathing hour is eleven at Havre and othei French 



272 



THE SEASON AT THE SEA-SHORE. 



seaside resorts, and it is a novel sight to eyes accustomed 
to the scenes of an American seaside. The men are en- 
tirely nude, save a slight girdle round their middle. The 
women are dressed in varied suits. The former move out 
along the piers and throw themselves into the water like 
circus-riders. The latter are carried out in boats, from 
which they descend by small ladders at the side into the 
water, alternately swimming around the boat and get- 
ting into it to rest from their exercise. At no one 
time were there more than a hundred people bathing at 
the same time, though the sterile, sunny, sandy shore was 
filled with spectators ; nor was the surf half so fine or 
the beach as smooth as at Atlantic City and Cape May. 
And how different from the gay and laughing thousands 
who go in to bathe at these and other favorite summer 
places ! Such a thing as men two-thirds naked would not 
be tolerated there ; but here custom has so familiarized it 
to society that it is not noticed. Frascati's Hotel is also 
most unlike our hotels by the sea — the cooking is all French, 
and there is a wonderful avoidance of strong liquors ; 
music twice a day for the guests ; but no crowd, as with 
us; no late hours, no brilliant balls, no children's dances. 
At ten o'clock all is dark and solitary. Of the food and 
attendance I cannot speak too highly. The cuisine of the 
French is confessedly unapproachable, and their exquisite 
bread, butter, and coffee are not less worthy of imitation 
than their skill in composing a soup or an omelet. This is 
a grave subject for next year, especially that of bread. 
Cheap, sweet, delicate bread is a luxury which supplies 
many deficiencies. 

Havre is in the vicinity of some of the finest watering- 
places on the French coast — notably Trouville and Dean- 
ville, distant by steamer about an hour. Again, how dif- 
ferent the people on the boat and the people on the shore, 
compared to a similar excursion in America ! Nothing 



THE CIVIL SERVICE SUPPLY ASSOCIATION. 273 

could be more decorous than a French crowd, whether 
afloat or on land. They are painfully quiet, perhaps be- 
cause of the restraints of their military situation. With us 
an ocean excursion is an event of brass bands, gay dresses, 
and innocent fraternization. Trouville is to the French 
what Long Branch is to the Americans or Brighton to the 
English, but different from both in most respects. Dean- 
ville, its immediate neighbor and rival, possesses the same 
characteristics, and what I have written about Havre may 
be applied with equal justice to those two places. M. 
Thiers lived for many years near Trouville, and is very 
much beloved in all the country round about. 
London, September, 1875. 



LXVI. 

The Civil Service Supply Association. 

It is admitted that Americans surpass the English in 
their hotels and boarding-houses. There are no such in- 
stitutions as our first-class hotels anywhere in the United 
Kingdom, while those who select quarters and depend for 
their conveniences in private houses cannot be accom- 
modated as comfortably as they can in the United States. 
There are many luxurious private hotels in this vast world 
of a city where the conveniences are too costly for the 
ordinary traveler; but the average superiority of our 
American public houses seems to be everywhere conceded. 
It is different, however, when you meet the Englishman at 
home. There he is fully equal to the American ; and it is 
in this association that you can better appreciate English 
life. Their comforts are abounding, and the taste with 

M* 



274 TIIE CIVIL SERVICE SUPPLY ASSOCIATION. 

which their residences are furnished cannot be surpassed. 
Lately I met a very interesting family, whose acquaintance 
I made last winter at Cannes, in France, where their quiet 
style and unostentatious manners hardly prepared me to 
find them living as luxuriously as they do in their pleasant 
mansion in Cambridge Street, Hyde Park. 

It is not, however, to speak of the manner in which they 
entertained me, of the elegancies and comforts of their 
residence, the excellence of the dinner, the intelligence 
of their conversation, the heartiness of their cordiality, and 
especially their sympathy for my country; another topic far 
more interesting, if possible, suggested this letter; and that 
is the fact that the appointments of this beautiful house, the 
clothes worn by its occupants, the furniture, the service of 
the table, and the delicacies of the dinner, all came 
through what is known in London as the Civil Service 
Supply Association. 

This institution, little heard of in the United States, is 
one of the peculiarities of the British capital, though rather 
recently established. The object is to supply families with 
articles for consumption and general use at the lowest 
possible prices. It originated in a combination among 
persons holding subordinate positions under the Govern- 
ment, municipal and national; hence the title. With their 
comparatively small salaries, and their anxiety to live re- 
spectably, they found it impossible to pay the high charges 
for the various necessaries of life, so they adopted a co- 
operative system, a little like that attempted by the granges 
of the Patrons of Husbandry in some parts of America, or, 
in other words, something like the old-fashioned plan of 
orders adopted in many of the manufacturing towns in our 
own country, the difference here being that cash must be 
paid for everything on the spot. The institution I am now 
trying to describe issues forty-five hundred shares to its 
members, each of whom pays five pounds or twenty-five 



THE CIVIL SERVICE SUPPLY ASSOCIATION. 



275 



dollars per annum, which, besides securing the benefit of 
the society, entitles the holder to take part in the meetings 
of the association and to have a voice in the management. 
Tickets may be sold to others on the payment of half a 
crown (sixty-two and a half cents), which tickets secure the 
right of purchasing goods at the stores and from the firms 
connected with the Association, but the mere ticket-pur- 
chasers cannot attend the meetings or take part in the 
management. Tickets may also be obtained by the widows 
of civil servants upon the payment of half a crown yearly, 
and by the widows of members without payment. When 
you are told that this organization consists of hundreds of 
thousands of persons, and that the supplies are furnished by 
thousands of establishments, and that no such thing as a 
pecuniary loss has ever happened, or anything like dis- 
honesty in any one of the branches, you may realize how 
successful it has been. This fact is more apparent as you 
examine the prices paid by those who enjoy the benefits of 
the system. In looking over the list of articles furnished 
I perceive that it includes literally everything — groceries, 
wines and spirits, provisions, tobacco and cigars, hosiery, 
drapery, gents' and ladies' clothing, fancy goods, drugs, 
plate, furs, stationery and jewelry, books and music, house- 
hold furniture ; in fact, luxuries as well as necessaries. 

The price-list for the quarter ending the 31st of August, 
1875, shows a reduction of from five to twenty-five percent, 
on the prevailing rates. Understand that when the mem- 
bers or ticket-holders begin to make their purchases they 
first leave the list of the articles required and the money with 
the cashier. In the printed catalogue before me I notice 
men's best shirts at five shillings sixpence ($1-37/^); col- 
lars to match, sixpence ; dressing-gowns, seventeen shillings 
sixpence ($4.37^) ; imitation seal-skin wrappers at about 
$ 1.75 ; water-proof gray tweed coals at $5 ; woollen shawls 
at $2.37)4 ; cambric handkerchiefs from 87*2 cents to 



276 THE CIVIL SERVICE SUPPLY ASSOCIATION. 

$5.50 per dozen ; hemstitched, from $2 to $9.50 per dozen ; 
merino dresses for ladies at $2.50 to $5 ; ladies' lavender 
dress kid gloves from 62^ cents to 75 cents ; men's kid 
gloves, $1 a pair ; silk umbrellas, $1.50 to $1.75 apiece; 
sunshades, 87^ cents ; French merino, 50 cents to $1.12*^ 
per yard ; woolen reps, 50 cents to $1 a yard ; black silks, 
75 cents to $1.25 a yard; French satin, 40 cents to 62^ 
cents per yard; printed cambrics, I2j4 cents to 22 cents 
per yard ; printed muslin, i2j4 cents to 30 cents per yard; 
unbleached cotton, 18 cents to 20 cents per yard ; bleached 
cotton sheetings, 30 cents to 45 cents per yard ; calicoes, 
from 10 cents to 22 cents per yard ; linen sheetings, from 
25 cents to 75 cents per yard ; Scotch linen, from 50 cents 
to $1 per yard; Irish linen, from 75 cents to #1.75 per 
yard; double linen napkins, $1.12*4 to $3.75; damask 
cloths, 12 j4 cents to 68 cents; blankets, per pair, from 
$2.50 to $3; better qualities (Whitney), $7.75 per pair; 
an extra superfine black frock or dress coat, lined through- 
out with Italian cloth, $17.37^2 ', an extra superfine black 
morning coat, lined throughout with Italian cloth, $15.62^; 
superfine black frock or dress coat, $15.62^; morning coat, 
superior, $13.87)4 ; superfine black waistcoat, single- 
breasted, $3.50; double-breasted waistcoat, superfine, 
$3.75; doeskin trowsers, $6.62 ^ ; and ready-made over- 
coats, various sizes, textures, and colors, $5.25. 

These reductions run through the entire catalogue ; and 
when you reflect that this organization is not patronized 
by the poorer classes only, but is really, as in the case of 
the family to which I refer, supported by persons in very 
good circumstances, and includes, as I learn, many of the 
nobility, you will see at once not only how useful it is, but 
to what extent integrity is essential to its management. At 
first there was a decided protest against it among old estab- 
lishments, but now it has become so powerful that it in- 
cludes thousands of Co-operative Stores, and of course com- 



NATIONAL EDUCATION 277 

pels by the very nature of its competition reasonable prices 
among those who are not connected with it. During the 
Christmas holidays some of these civil-service stores re- 
ceived over their counters as much as two hundred thousand 
dollars in a single day, and it is a noteworthy fact, as illus- 
trated, for instance, by Mr. Forster, M.P., in a recent speech 
on the Odd-Fellows, which is in England a kind of mutual 
relief organization, that the co-operative system as applied 
to working people has been a triumphant success. 
London, September, 1875. 



LXVII. 

National Education. 



We must not forget, while American institutions are 
constantly under fire in Europe, or rather are constantly 
criticised and too often condemned for various reasons, 
sometimes out of sheer dislike, sometimes because of the 
apprehensions they excite, and not unfrequently for want 
of full knowledge of the facts, there are nevertheless cer- 
tain conservative or saving elements in our system which 
cannot be ignored. 

I have already referred to the substantial value of re- 
ligious toleration in America, to the steady reduction of 
our national debt, and to the increasing solidity of our 
national securities ; but now comes a still greater question 
if possible — that of the admitted superiority of popular 
education in the United States. At last the necessity for a 
wider and more thorough intelligence among the English 
people is forced upon the attention of the Conservative 
leaders. A nation so full of money, abounding in so many 

24 



278 NATIONAL EDUCATION. 

learned institutions, placed by all its associations at the 
very head of modern literature, knitted to the past by a long 
train of glorious traditions, is to day far behind other 
powers in the great matter of the education of its people. 
That nation is England, and in this assertion I need go no 
further for support than the utterances of its public men. 
Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, and France are far ahead 
of England in this respect ; but no example is more fre- 
quently and profitably quoted than that of the United 
States. 

During the late session of Parliament a measure was 
adopted called the Elementary Education Act, the object 
of which was to secure the attendance of children in the 
schools, a higher standard of acquirements in teachers, and 
better school-books, all to be supported from the common 
fund raised by taxes or rates upon the people. And it 
marks the difference between the present and the past that 
Mr. Cross, the Home Secretary of Mr. Disraeli's adminis- 
tration, at the opening of a bazaar at Orrell, near Wigan, 
the other day, unqualifiedly asserted his determination to 
execute this law at whatever hazard, and in illustration of 
his resolute purpose he proclaimed sentiments which a few 
years ago would have been denounced as the wildest radi- 
calism. He regards the absence of such a system as he 
now demands as the great danger of the times, and believes, 
to use the language of the Daily Standard, " if England is 
to retain her place among the nations and hold her own 
against foreign competition in manufactures and industry 
generally, we must in every way we can, and by a better 
literary education among other ways, draw out and develop 
the talents and capacities of the whole of the people." 
In the same article the following allusion is made to the 
United States: 

" Lastly, the spread of sanitary knowledge will necessitate improved, 
and therefore more costly, school-houses. On the need - of this special im- 



NATIONAL EDUCATION. 



279 



provement the official literature of some of the New England States — 
more particularly Massachusetts — is very instructive. The common-school 
S) stem is an ancient institution in New England, and it embraces a very 
large proportion of the population. The State Board of Health of Mas- 
sachusetts has consequently made the influence of school attendance upon 
the health of the pupils the subject of some very valuable reports. Now, 
as the whole youth of this country is gathered into the schools, this ques- 
tion of the sanitary condition of the schools will become of at least as 
much importance as that of the sanitary condition of factories and work- 
shops. For these reasons and others that might be enumerated the cost 
of elementary education will tend to increase in the future. But this ques- 
tion of cost appears to us of very minor importance. When popular edu- 
cation was neglected by Government and had no advocates among poli- 
ticians it was originated by voluntary effort, and was maintained, extended, 
and improved until at last it compelled the attention of Cabinets and Par- 
liaments, and forced itself into the front as a great national question. The 
same spirit of enlightened self-sacrifice and patriotic enterprise which ac- 
complished so much will continue the work, and will furnish whatever 
funds may be necessary to support voluntary schools." 

It illustrates the march of liberal principles in England, 
and at the same time the vigilance of the Conservative Min- 
istry not to be outdone by their political adversaries, that 
the Home Secretary should unhesitatingly declare his de- 
termination to establish in England as thorough and com- 
plete and generous a system of popular education as there 
is to be found in any part of the world ; and strange to say 
the youngest of all the nations, our own, has unquestionably 
surmounted most of the difficulties now in the path of Great 
Britain. Our common schools are everywhere in full tide of 
successful experiment. In other words, England must now 
begin, with all her experience and wealth, where the United 
States began forty years ago. England now finds its best 
security in the education of its masses, and so refutes by the 
act of its Conservative Ministry the violent denunciations 
of those who insisted that to educate a great people was to 
make them unworthy of liberty and disdainful of labor. 
As time goes on, this subject, as presented in the United 
States, will get to be more and more interesting in England, 



2 So NATIONAL EDUCATION. 

and the money expended directly by the several States and 
indirectly by the General Government for the purpose of 
educating all classes and conditions of men will be made 
so familiar in Great Britain that no man can forecast the 
future. Our example alone will go far to dispel many pre- 
judices which have grown out of our more recent and tem- 
porary misfortunes. 

I observed the effect produced upon the mind of Lord 
and Lady Amberley when they were in Philadelphia sev- 
eral years ago, on the occasion of their visit to one of 
the Girls' High Schools. Lady Amberley was introduced 
without previous notice to four or five hundred young ladies 
from fourteen to eighteen years old, and found them fully 
prepared to answer all her questions, and she found these 
young women so far ahead of her expectations in the higher 
accomplishments, that she did not hesitate to say that much 
as she had seen of the world, — for she had been a great 
traveller, — she had never before enjoyed a sight at once so 
novel and so instructive, and she was free to admit that, 
proud as she was of her own country, there was not in 
England such an institution for the education of the girls 
of all classes as that which she had seen in Philadelphia. 

That the present Ministry intends a revolution in educa- 
tion in this country is clear, and that they will not allow 
their Liberal rivals to surpass them in the march of improve- 
ment is evident from the resolute tone of the speech of the 
Home Secretary a few days ago. It will cost much to 
create and conduct such a system as that of the United 
States in this old country, and it will be not only neces- 
sary to enforce the attendance of the children of all classes, 
but to compel the rich to pay the expense, in proportion 
as they are better able to bear the burdens of the State. It 
was the education tax that came near destroying the Amer- 
ican system in Pennsylvania when Thaddeus Stevens led 
the way as the champion of popular education, and I no- 



NATIONAL EDUCATION. 281 

tice here that people of wealth already protest against 
being called upon to educate the children of the poor. But 
precisely as in the United States all these objections perished' 
before the salutary experience of a well-conducted educa- 
tion for the people, so will they fade away before the in- 
tended experiment in England. What will grow out of 
this revolution is quite another subject; but you can better 
understand how ready the Conservative statesmen here are 
to meet all the difficulties of the far-off future when the 
Home Secretary uses the following language: 

" Whatever may be our differences in political questions, whatever dif- 
ferent views we may hold upon religious matters, whether they be far apart 
or not, at all events to-day there is one purpose in every person's heart 
assembled in this room, and that is a feeling of the necessity of education. 
It is always a matter of delight to me to see a whole village meeting as 
here to-day, and that you are all agreed. Now, let us examine for one 
moment what you are agreed upon, because I take it that the object is a 
very important one. You are agreed upon this — that at all events within 
this district the education provided for every child, male or female, within 
it, shall, so far as you are concerned, not be separated from religious 
teaching ; that you will not attempt to force your own particular religious 
views upon any child who comes to this school whose parents do not agree 
with those views ; that the teaching which is given here shall be of the best 
and highest standard ; and that you are willing to have your standard of 
excellence in teaching tested by a Government test. 

" You do not allow a parent to let his children go into the streets with- 
out clothes for the sake of decency. You will not allow a parent let his 
children, if he can afford it, go into the street without food for the sake of 
humanity ; and what right has a man to let his children go into the streets 
without education, and become a prey to all the criminals who are about 
him — to lead a life of crime, of misery to himself, of distress and wrong to 
others, of enormous expense to the country, for he is sure to become a 
criminal ? You cannot in any reason suppose that a man who has the 
power of sending his child to school has a right to neglect to teach him 
any more than he has to feed or clothe him. If he does not do it, he must 
be made to do it, and the question you have to solve is whether, without 
assistance from the State, you can succeed in getting your children to 
school, for at school they must be; and the State has a right to take care 
that it is not flooded with persons who are living a life of crime and misery 
to all around them. Do not run away with the notion that simple educa- 

24* 



282 CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL AT WESTMINSTER. 

tion alone will do everything, or that improving your dwellings will do 
everything. You are required to undo that which has been done for years 
past, and it is only by gradual improvement that we can hope to reach a 
better state of things than we have at the present moment ; and I believe 
as surely as I stand here that that improvement is gradually going on more 
extensively than many of us think, and that if all goes on prosperously, as 
we hope it will do, we may trust in the next generation to find a very dif- 
ferent state of things to that which some of the older of us remember to 
have existed when we were children." 
London, September, 1875. 



LXVIII. 

Catholic Cathedral at Westminster. 

The Roman Catholics of England are preparing to begin, 
under the auspices of Cardinal Manning, the erection of a 
cathedral that shall be worthy of their metropolitan see. It 
is to be placed in what is called the Archdiocese of West- 
minster, in the rear of Victoria Street, near the Parliament 
House and the ancient Minster. The ground, bought by the 
accumulation of some nine years, cost one hundred and sixty- 
five thousand dollars, and the vastness of the work may be ap- 
preciated when it is stated that Cardinal Manning does not 
expect to live to consecrate it, for if finished in his lifetime it 
would not be a metropolitan edifice worthy of the Church. 
The architect has chosen as his model the latter half of the 
thirteenth century, when Gothic art had culminated. The 
great western facade of the new Cathedral will not be less 
than one hundred and seventy feet in width, flanked with 
two towers each fifty feet square. The front will be one 
hundred and thirty feet and the towers two hundred feet 
high, to be finally surmounted by spires, making the full 
altitude nearly four hundred feet, almost that of the cross 



CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL AT WESTMINSTER. 283 

of St. Paul's. On entering, the visitor will find himself in 
a spacious nave fifty feet in breadth, separated by a set of 
double aisles, on his right and left an arcade of seventy 
lofty solid arches, each bay or arch twenty-two feet wide 
and sixty feet in height. Then there are to be aisles, stained 
windows, transepts, etc. The exact dimensions of the 
building will be four hundred feet long, one hundred and 
forty feet wide, one hundred and thirty feet high. There 
will be twenty-five side chapels, each with a separate altar. 
The entire fabric is to be built of Portland stone, and the 
whole of the interior vaulted with the same material. It 
is estimated that two generations will elapse before it is 
finished. The cost of the first instalment is estimated at 
four hundred thousand dollars. Subscriptions have already 
been received from the Emperor and Empress of Austria, 
ex-Queen Isabella of Spain, the late Count de Montalem- 
bert, and most of the Roman Catholic nobility and gentry 
of this country. Cardinal Manning heads the subscription 
with a donation of one thousand pounds sterling and a be- 
quest of five thousand more, which has been placed at his 
disposal. There are also donations from Mr. Charles Man- 
ning, six hundred pounds sterling ; the Countess Tasker, 
one thousand ; Monsignor Patterson, eight hundred, and 
the late Mr. J. R. Hope Scott, Q.C., five hundred. The 
London Times, in reporting this project, speaks of it as "a 
strange demonstration ;" but this, together with other indi- 
cations, proves the steady growth of the Roman Catholics 
in England. 

London, September, 1875. 



284 CHIPPING NORTON. 



LXIX. 

Chipping Norton. — A Master of the Hounds. — An Ancient Manufactory. 

Chipping Norton is the old and odd name of a beautiful 
rural town in Oxfordshire, of which I had never heard until 
invited to visit it by an English friend ; a place, in fact, of 
which many of the oldest inhabitants of London know 
nothing. My host, William Bliss, Esq., who has connec- 
tions in the United States, and some of whose relations 
are resident in Philadelphia, having intermarried with one 
of our oldest families — the Dalletts — had visited our coun- 
try three years ago, and though he remained but four months 
among us, he imbibed such an admiration for nearly every- 
thing he saw, that it is to him a genuine pleasure to wel- 
come Americans to his hospitable home. The town of 
Chipping Norton was in existence eight hundred years 
ago, and it looks likes an ancient place, with its quaint old 
houses, its broad square, narrow streets, and numerous tav- 
erns, one of them the "White Hart," the favorite resort 
of King George IV. when he lived a very gay and roving 
life as Prince of Wales. Distant three hours from London 
and about an hour from venerable Oxford, its own imme- 
diate surroundings are hardly less interesting than that 
centuried city of colleges and churches. 

Inconceivably lovely are the hills among which Chip- 
ping Norton stands, and on a day of rare autumnal mag- 
nificence, recalling our Indian summer in all its glory, it 
was an interesting ride with Mr. Bliss through the town 
itself and its romantic and historic environs. The name 
of Chipping is derived from the Saxon " Chepen," to 
cheapen or to buy. It signifies a market-place. Time, 



CHIPPING NORTON. 285 

however, has changed it into "Chipping," and if you 
trace the old records even to the reign of Edward I., 1293, 
mention is made of the " Churche of Cheping Norton." 
Immediately after the Norman Conquest the manor of 
Chipping Norton became the property of one of the great 
families, and, after passing through various hands, became 
a town corporate in 1673, and is now, although part of a 
district which sends several members to Parliament, a 
" borough" that never makes the acquaintance of a Speak- 
er's "writ," and is never corrupted by a contested elec- 
tion. 

When I reached the railroad station on the Great Western 
line, I found Mr. and Mrs. Bliss Waiting to drive me across 
the country to their residence. Nearly the entire distance 
between these two points was through the estate of Lord 
Ducie, which extends seven miles along the railway, and 
nearly as many on both sides. This vast estate is farmed 
on the closest and best English system, producing a large 
annual revenue to the noble owner, many of whose tenants 
are themselves men of high position, some of the farms in- 
cluding more than a thousand acres. Within three miles 
of Chipping Norton is a still more extensive estate, "Hey- 
throp," four thousand five hundred acres in extent, formerly 
the property of the Earl of Shrewsbury, but now in possession 
of a new owner, Albert Brassey, the youngest son of the great 
English contractor — the late Thomas Brassey. Two other 
sons of Mr. Brassey — the first and second — are members 
of Parliament, and all received at the death of their father 
sufficient to give them property popularly estimated at 
eighty thousand pounds sterling per annum, which they 
spend with an enlightened liberality. It is said of this 
celebrated builder that, although passing through many 
trials and vicissitudes, he expended'in his various enter- 
prises in England and on the Continent at least seventy 
millions of pounds sterling, or three hundred and fifty mil- 



286 A MASTER OF THE HOUNDS. 

lions of dollars ! A comparatively illiterate man himself, 
but with fine natural capacities, especially in the manage- 
ment of men and in the selection of his agents, his maxim is 
said to have been that an ignorant man could only spend 
five thousand pounds per annum, while it required educa- 
tion and a knowledge of the world to distribute the large 
profits which he was realizing for his children. So he gave 
them the best education that_could be procured, and now 
they are men of position and high standing. Heythrop is 
certainly magnificent, and- it is evident that the new pro- 
prietor is making good use of the enormous wealth he has 
inherited. 

As we drove through the splendid park, passing a noble 
avenue of beeches, and saw the various improvements in 
progress — the neat little village for the accommodation of 
the tenants ; the new school-house, with its handsome gar- 
dens, walks, and play-grounds ; the village church ; the 
long range of stables for the large stud of the young 
owner ; the old chapels erected by the Shrewsburys in 
Catholic times, but now dismantled under the new regime ; 
the hundreds of workmen engaged upon the main castle, 
now in course of thorough renovation — it was easy to see 
that the money which had been accumulated by the skill 
and energy of the father was not put to a bad use by the 
generous and judicious outlay of his son. 

Here, too, for the first time, I realized what is meant by 
the "Master of the Hounds." We know so little of the 
peculiar domestic amusements of England that a short de- 
scription of one of these hunting establishments may be 
useful and interesting. Mr. Albert Brassey, who has not 
yet attained his twenty-fifth year, and who has married a 
titled lady, has been "Master of the Hounds" for this 
part of Oxfordshire for three years past, and early in No- 
vember next the first "meet" of the coming season will 
assemble on the beautiful plateau around Heythrop House, 



A MASTER OF THE HOUNDS. 287 

whence they commence the pleasures of the day. Two or 
three hundred of the nobility and gentry of the country 
for ten to twenty miles round gather on these occasions, 
and with their variegated dresses, — the men with their red 
coats, white buckskin breeches, and neat top-boots; the 
ladies in their long riding-habits, — the splendid horses, the 
huntsmen, the whipper-in, out-riders, and hounds, all eager 
for the sport, make up such a scene as well deserves the 
graphic pen of the novelist, and shows that the sports of 
the past in England continue at the present day. 

At the time of the Norman Conquest (a.d. 1066) Eng- 
land was a combination of forests and moors of vast extent ; 
the population was estimated to be under three millions 
(the population of London alone in the present day is more 
than four millions), and only a small portion of the land 
was under cultivation ; there were few towns and hardly 
any roads, except those left by the Romans. Robbers 
roamed over the country without stop or hindrance, and 
consequently there was no security to life or property, 
while gross ignorance and superstition prevailed every- 
where. Civilization, however, has come like a providential 
deliverance to sweep these evils away, but the popular sports 
continue to be cultivated and maintained with incredible 
assiduity and extravagance. It must cost young Mr. Bras- 
sey at least ten thousand dollars a year to uphold his posi- 
tion as "Master of the Hounds" for his district in part 
of Oxfordshire. He has about thirty horses in his own 
stables for the use of his own friends, while in what are 
called the "kennels" twenty-one more are used by the 
servants and the huntsmen who go out with him on one of 
the hunting days. 

Let me tell you about these "kennels," situated not 
quite four miles from the Heythrop House. My visit to 
them was full of compensation. Each member of the 
"Hunt" of which Mr. Brassey is "Master" has to con 



288 A MASTER OF THE BOUNDS. 

tribute generously out of his own funds towards the general 
expenses of the establishment, and it is estimated that five 
thousand pounds, or twenty-five thousand dollars, were 
paid for the buildings in which the hunters and hounds are 
kept. First, as to the horses and their management : I 
think far more care and expense were bestowed upon them 
than upon hundreds of human beings of the lower classes; 
in fact, I may safely allege that one of these "hunters" 
costs as much on the whole as would provide for a large 
family. They are kept in what is called by the horse- 
dealers " tip-top" condition, in comfortable stalls, and 
carefully groomed until their coats fairly shine. Each of 
these splendid animals originally cost a high price, and as 
soon as they begin to decline, through age or infirmity, 
are expelled in favor of their younger and more thoroughly 
capable successors. The manager or keeper seemed to be 
proud of his trust, and was evidently deeply interested in 
the preparations for the coming " meet." He showed me 
an ingenious machine for clipping horses, a novelty to me, 
by means of which he could completely clip three horses 
in a day, whereas under the former old-fashioned process 
it took at least one or two days for each animal. 

Passing from these beautiful stables and their twenty-one 
fine hunters, we were introduced to the huntsman, Mr. 
Hazleton, a spry, wiry, intelligent young fellow. The 
hounds, all of the black-and-tan species, were confined in 
their kennels, each one opening into a yard with stone walls, 
over which it was easy to look. There were in all seventy- 
four couples, the females kept separate from the males, and 
all clean and in robust condition. Mr. Hazleton would 
stand at the door of the kennel, after having driven the 
dogs into the yard, and call them by name, to which they 
would each directly answer. For instance, in the ladies' 
pack he would ask for "Sparkle," "Fanny," "Dew Drop," 
"Rosy," "Charmer," and so forth, all through the cata- 



A MASTER OF THE HOUNDS. 289 

logue, and each would spring up and pass under his hand 
into the kennel; and the same with the gentlemen's pack 
of the canine household, who responded with equal alacrity 
to their appellations. There are generally eighteen couples 
sent out in a pack; one of these packs had been out the 
day previous, and as the dogs belonging to it responded to 
his cry, they seemed to be sleepy and tired, and not a few 
were torn and lacerated by passing through the brambles 
and undergrowth of the day's hunt. These hounds were 
once the property of Lord Redesdale, and are esteemed 
the finest in the country. The stables and kennels were of 
stone, admirably constructed, with quarters for the whip- 
pers-in and huntsmen. 

As a preparation for the hunt or "meet," Mr. Brassey, 
accompanied by his first whipper-in and huntsman, and a 
considerable pack of the best hcainds, have been very busy 
for the last week in clearing the "covers" of the cubs or 
young foxes, the object being not only to get rid of the 
young ones, but to accustom the hounds to hunt the old 
foxes, which have naturally greater power of endurance. 
These foxes abound in what are called "covers," or clus- 
ters of heath and undergroAvth, and when the hunt begins 
men and hounds are sent into the "covers" to beat out 
the fox, while the sportsmen remain outside in a circle 
waiting for Reynard to appear; and when he does, they fol- 
low over hedges and ditches in a direct line after the hounds, 
scouring the country far and near, and rarely without acci- 
dent to some one of the dashing riders — through the villages 
and farms, over the hills, past water-courses and village-dams, 
.flying over gates and stone walls. I fear these ladies and 
gentlemen work very much harder for pleasure than many 
of their poorer brethren and sisters do for their daily bread. 

Some amusing stories are told of the way in which they 
often come to grief. The women are frequently as daring 
as the men ; and I was told of one lady who was carried 

N 25 



290 



AN ANCIENT MANUFACTORY. 



by her unmanageable horse into a deep moat filled with 
mud. Her male admirers stood on the bank, watching her 
flounderings, and were so ungallant as to fear that, by inter- 
ference, they should spoil their white unmentionables. At 
last a laboring man was induced to haul the lady from her 
horse and carry her to the bank in his arms, while the poor 
animal was dragged out by ropes. The fair sportswoman 
after a bath and change of clothes rejoined the hunt, as 
eager and reckless as ever, on a fresh steed. A Master of 
the Hounds occupies a high social position; indeed, all his 
recompense is the society which the position assures him. 
None are equal to it, unless, like Mr. Brassey, they are 
owners of large estates and plenty of money. 

It was not to see these glittering and expensive prepara- 
tions for England's national sport that I visited Chipping 
Norton. I had a far more interesting and substantial ob- 
ject in view, and that was to obtain some knowledge of the 
manufactures of the town, especially those of wool. This 
trade was introduced to Chipping Norton by Mr. Bliss the' 
grandfather of my host; it was commenced by the manu- 
facture of tilling and linsey-woolsey, and you may obtain 
some idea of its enormous growth when I tell you that the 
expenses of William Bliss & Son, fifty years ago, for wages 
to the men, were about seventeen dollars a week, while 
they now are about five hundred pounds sterling, or two 
thousand five hundred dollars per week, and from six hun- 
dred to eight hundred hands are employed. Founded in 
1757, and therefore one hundred and eighteen years old, 
their place has become one of the most important manu- 
factories of woollen fabrics in the world. 

The new building, a beautiful specimen of architecture, 
constructed entirely of iron, stone, and glass, is insured 
with its contents for seventy thousand pounds. The busi- 
ness is conducted on the strictest business principles, and 
turns out, I should think, at least two hundred thousand 



AN ANCIENT MANUFACTORY. 



291 



to three hundred thousand pounds' worth of goods per 
annum. The goods manufactured are nearly all special- 
ties, the town making a large amount of stuff for the army 
and navy, especially blue and red cloth, horse clothing, 
and serges. Their machinery is of the latest invention, 
from which our great manufacturers in the United States 
might copy with profit. The manufacture of these nu- 
merous fabrics consumes large quantities of wool, which 
are obtained chiefly from the British colonies, although 
I saw much of English and Italian production. I need 
not recount the graceful hospitality of Mr. Bliss and his 
family, his enthusiastic experiences of the United States, 
the high compliments he paid Philadelphia, in which he 
spent many happy days, nor his anxiety in regard to the 
approaching International Exhibition, where he will be 
found one of the most enlightened exhibitors. 

What most interested me during this most pleasurable 
day, and left the most wholesome reflection, was the fact 
that in the midst of their own prosperity Mr. Bliss, his 
sons, and their families do not forget the condition of their 
employes, men, women, and children. A little chapter 
in connection with this fact deserves to be repeated here, 
and to be imitated everywhere. Their special industry has 
been recognized by awards of the highest prizes in England, 
America, and on the Continent, but that which ought to 
be the most valued by them is the gold medal, one of five, 
awarded to their firm by the International Exhibition at 
Paris, 1867. This gold medal was given not alone because 
their fabrics were the best, but because they proved to the 
satisfaction of the French jurors that their works had at 
that time been carried on an entire century for the best 
interests of employer and employed, without disputes of 
any kind, while the social interests of those engaged had 
been carefully attended to; that during all that time none 
of their workmen had joined the trades' unions, or had to 



2Q2 AN ANCIENT MANUFACTORY. 

strike for higher wages; none had gone into the workhouse, 
while many families had worked for the firm for three gen- 
erations. Many had saved money and bought life in- 
surances, and no children under thirteen years of age had 
ever been employed by them. Schools, reading-rooms, 
lectures, and amusements of every kind had been provided, 
and also a beautiful park of one hundred acres. Mr. Bliss 
himself is an excellent public speaker, and -frequently ad- 
dresses his employes, one of his most interesting dis- 
courses being his experiences of America in 1872, which I 
am told always attracts great crowds, exciting alternate 
wonder and admiration. He has just passed his sixty-fifth 
year, but does not look over fifty-five. He very mi:ch re- 
sembles John Bright, and has all the enthusiasm of youth. 
I do not know when I have met a more sympathetic and 
well-informed gentleman. He has been Mayor of Chip- 
ping Norton for successive years, and, if the fruits of a 
well-spent life have ever been freely and gracefully gathered, 
such may be said to have been his good fortune. If he is 
not a happy man, then an amiable disposition, congenial 
labors, good health, and bounteous wealth are not the signs 
of that rare and enviable condition. 

A practical insight into such an organization as W. Bliss 
& Son's is worth a dozen theories on social or political 
economy. The marvellous improvements in machinery by 
which human labor is saved and increased in value, and the 
consequent improvement in the condition of human life, 
may be called lesson first. After that follows the fact, no 
longer denied by realistic men like Mr. Bliss, that the 
advance in the wages of labor in the United States has 
compelled an almost corresponding advance in Great 
Britain, if skilled workmen are to be retained in the latter. 
Just here the free-trade policy comes in as the crucial test 
upon the manufacturers, for whom it was established to 
secure for them the markets of the world. Under that 



AN ANCIENT MANUFACTORY. 



2 93 



policy the manufacturers of the Continent, notably those 
of Belgium and Germany, send in fabrics as good as those 
of Great Britain, produced by workmen who get wages 
more than one-third less than those paid in Great Britain. 
These fabrics are sold in England and in other nations 
at prices far below those for which the same materials can 
be made here ! So you see that, in England's anxiety to 
sell to the world at the lowest rates, she opens her doors 
to rivals who boldly undersell her everywhere. Under her 
liberal laws she must educate her people ; she must pay 
high wages to retain her skilled labor, since autocratic 
governments, a few hours distant, pay their working-classes 
what they please, and send their goods here, which they 
offer at correspondingly reduced rates. The English 
manufacturers survey the future with gloomy fear. They 
see not only the fierce competition of the Continent, but 
the British Colonies are setting up for themselves, and de- 
manding "protection" to manufacture their own goods, 
while the Americans are sending the proofs of their 
skilled labor into English markets, and preparing to make 
cotton and woollen fabrics on their own soil out of the 
raw material. This is the other view of " free trade," and 
may be accepted as the key to an ominous future. 
Chipping Norton, September, 1S75. 



25* 



294 



THE BLACK COUNTRY. 



LXX. 

The Black Country. 



Acting steadily upon the principle which I wish were 
more carefully observed by those who write of the United 
States in the English papers, namely — that of presenting the 
best side of everything English, including, of course, what 
relates to labor, I have not in this correspondence reflected 
the offensive details constantly published in London, show- 
ing how difficult it is in this overcrowded country to ad- 
minister to the wants and the comforts of the working- 
classes. Indeed, if I had not made it a rule to keep out of 
sight these details I could have presented a far more start- 
ling exhibit of matters to be regretted here than that which 
too frequently appears in the British journals in regard to 
the shortcomings and misfortunes of the United States. 
There is so much in Great Britain to admire, alike in the 
government and among the people, so much that I would 
gladly see repeated in my own country, that I leave the 
task of presenting the worst side of the picture to those 
who deal in that sort of writing. 

But there is a duty present to every intelligent observer 
that must be discharged. I mean the exposure of the 
evident mischiefs resulting from the severe and inexorable 
application of the system of free trade. I have spoken of 
the admission, or rather of the frank statement, of an intel- 
ligent woollen manufacturer in Oxfordshire in regard to 
the ruinous competition from which he and others suffer 
from the sale of the products of the cheap labor of Germany 
and Belgium. Take another witness : On the 28th of Sep- 
tember, the London Times contained a statement from Mr. 
Baker, Inspector of Factories, for the half-year ending with 



THE BLACK COUNTRY. 



295 



April, 1S75, which gives extracts from a remarkable report 
made to him by Mr. Sub-Inspector Brewer on the nail and 
chain district of the "Black Country," a district in the 
counties of Warwick and Stafford, between Birmingham 
and Wolverhampton, the capital of which, named Wednes- 
bury, has twenty-one thousand voters, and was created a 
Parliamentary borough by Mr. Disraeli's Reform Bill of 
1867. I have frequently read in journals hostile to the 
Government, such as Reynolds' Newspaper, appalling ac- 
counts of the terrible privations of the poor women who are 
compelled to work in these trying trades in that region, not 
only for their own support, but for the support of their 
drunken fathers or husbands and neglected children ; and 
I put the picture aside as one not fit to be spread before 
the American people. But here, in the candid and ac- 
cepted organ of the best society, the London Times, I find 
the whole story printed in full. Mr. Baker does not hesi- 
tate to say in regard to this report of his subordinate: "I 
have not introduced a tithe of what he and other writers 
have said of this Black Country. In a report of this 
kind, or of any kind, it is indescribable and much must 
necessarily be omitted. But I believe, from what I have 
myself seen, all that I have written is true, and I am 
afraid that all I should have written is true also." "The 
outcry," Mr. Brewer says, "against the colliers' and pud- 
dlers' wives working is very great, and I am continually 
asked whether I cannot do something to stop women's 
labor, especially in and around Halesowen (where ' hun- 
dreds' work, making the large nails, or spikes), and where 
it is the order of the day, and is far fitter for men than for 
women. And these women work night and day, and toil 
and slave, and for what? Not for the price that straight- 
forward masters would give, but for any price any crafty 
knave of a master chooses to offer. These women work 
so long as they can get something to satisfy their half- 



296 THE BLACK COUNTRY. 

starving families, while the ought-to-be bread-winner is 
luxuriating in some public-house at his ease. Day by day 
I am more and more convinced that this women's labor is 
the bane of this place. Nor do I confine this remark to 
the nail and chain trade alone. It was only the other day 
that a young woman, addressing me, said, ' I say, master, 
I wish you would make my man do a little more work, and 
me less. I married a swell, I did.' On my inquiring 
what she meant by a swell, she replied, 'Why, when I 
married him in the morning he had a smart gold watch 
and chain, and a smart dickey, but when we came to go to 
bed at night I'm blessed if he had e're a shirt on; and 
ever since I've had to keep him by working in the brick- 
yard, and not only keep him, but find him money to drink.' 
Nor is this state of things confined to the Black Country. 
At Bromsgrove I heard also of the growing custom of idle, 
lazy young lads looking out for skilled, industrious wives, 
in order to obtain an easy life. Things go on smoothly 
for a time, but then come children and perhaps sickness, 
and the idle hand of the legitimate bread-winner has lost 
its craft, or a course of drunkenness has so debilitated him 
that he can no longer stand the fatigue and heat. While 
the mother toils and slaves the children are left uncared 
for, to wander, shoeless and in rags, till they are old enough 
to blow the bellows for their father at a miserable pittance 
per week — to be kicked and cuffed, hear filthy, indecent, 
and blasphemous language, and are then sent into the shop 
amid men degraded by drink and gambling in time to 
follow the same course. Take, again, the instance of a 
collier's wife in this Black Country who works at chain- 
making about ten hours a day, for which she is paid eight 
shillings a week, though if she had taken her work to an 
honest master she might have had twelve shillings. Out of 
this, before she can take any for herself, she has probably 
to pay for nursing her baby while she works, two shillings 



THE BLACK COUNTRY. 297 

a week for her breezes — i.e., firing for her nail-making, — 
and one shilling for the hire of her stall, leaving her half a 
crown for her subsistence. Women certainly work often 
in an advanced state of pregnancy. Not many days since 
a tale was related to me by an iron-master of what hap- 
pened in a brickyard near Bilston a short time back. The 
manager noted a girl carrying clay looking exceedingly ill. 
Thinking she had been drinking over-night he exclaimed, 
' Why, Clara, you don't look up to much this morning?' 
' No more would you,' was the retort, 'if you had had a 
child during the night.' " 

Now, turn to the Lo ndo n Times of this very day (October 
4, 1875), an d you find a report from the senior Inspector 
of Factories, Mr. Redgrave, far more careful, written with 
an evident effort not alone to hide these horrible details, 
but to provide a possible remedy against the growing dis- 
comforts of other and better branches of manufacture, like 
that of my friend in Oxfordshire, who notes the increasing 
competition of the products of Germany and Belgium with 
undisguised alarm. The two facts commented upon by 
him, namely, the necessary advance of wages in England 
and the necessary shortening of the hours of labor, which, 
of course, largely reduce the profits of the manufacturer, 
and in the same degree invite the rivalry of his foreign 
competitors, are here met by certain indefinite suggestions, 
which only serve to increase the force of the argument 
against free trade. A few extracts from the article of The 
Times will show to you the justice of this assertion : 

" We are the more delighted to receive Mr. Redgrave's trustworthy as- 
surance that at least the state of our textile factories is far better than it has 
been represented, and to learn also that some of the facts of the case, ap- 
parently most unfavorable, are in reality not at variance with conclusions 
we should all be anxious to accept. Wages, for example, are higher than 
thev have ever been, while the hours of labor have been very considerably 
shortened. How, then, it has been urged, can it be expected that profits 
should be maintained at anything like their former level? And, if so, how 
N* 



298 THE BLACK COUNTRY. 

is England to keep her place in the teeth of the sharp foreign competition 
to which she is more and more exposed? Mr. Redgrave admits the facts 
which have given so much anxiety to alarmists ; but he adds, as the ex- 
tracts we publish this morning show, some others, which tend to modify in 
a very important way the practical lessons to be derived from them. 
Though labor is dearer than it used to be, and the hours of work are 
shorter, yet, owing in part to the increased skill of the laborer, but still 
more to the enormous improvements lately made in machinery, production 
and profits have not suffered as we might expect. We have been told 
again, on no mean authority, of the great physical deterioration which has 
affected the entire ranks of those who have been engaged in our factories 
and we have felt that if this were so the evil was far too grave to be made 
up for by the material gains which might accompany it. The perusal of 
Mr. Redgrave's report may serve on this point, too, to quiet our alarm, or, 
at any rate, to reduce it very considerably. He finds that the balance of 
evidence points really to an improvement rather than to a deterioration. 
There is much, it is true, which still has to be done, but our course for 
some time past has been in the right direction, and a fuller knowledge of 
the evils which still remain unremedied may be trusted to be a further and 
almost certain step towards their cure. 

" The excessive labor of adult females is an evil with which the law can- 
not as directly deal. The objections on the ground of freedom of contract 
to further legislative intervention for the protection of women from ex- 
cessive labor have been successfully met, but the interference of the law 
cannot be extended indefinitely. It is not in the manufacturing districts, 
however, that the strongest case for interference has been made out. It 
is in the ' Black Country,' and over the hard toil of nail and chain making, 
that the lot of the workwomen appears to be most deplorable. Mr. 
Brewer's report on this subject, some extracts from which we published 
last Tuesday, does not, of course, represent the common state of the dis- 
trict to which it relates ; yet even as isolated facts the contents of his nar- 
rative are not pleasant reading. But, however great the evil may be, we 
must look for its complete cure to the influence of causes more potent in 
the long run than any new enactments which Parliament can add to the 
statute book. The working-classes in our manufacturing districts now 
hold their destinies in their own hands. They are in a very real sense 
their own masters, and it is for them to determine in what way the power 
they have gained is to be exercised. Their employers, as a body, are alive 
to the duties of their position. But dependence on the employer belongs 
rather to the patriarchal than to the modern stage of industry. Valuable 
as the good-will of the master may be, it is of far less consequence at 
present than the enlightened self-help of the workmen and workwomen 
under him. The interest involved in the textile manufactures of the 



THE BLACK COUNTRY. 



299 



country are, in particular, so enormous, and the mischievous result of any 
mistake in dealing with them would, as Mr. Redgrave truly remarks, be 
so terrible to all concerned, that there is need for the utmost caution on 
the part of the Legislature. In the gradual and spontaneous remedy 
which the operative classes can themselves apply and regulate there is no 
such danger to be feared. It is to this that we should now naturally look 
for the improvements we desire to see in the condition of the whole body 
of our operatives ; nor shall we despair if it is some time yet before our 
confidence has been justified by the event." 

Observe the extreme care with which The Times avoids 
the slightest reference to the main cause of this widespread 
depression, — the policy of attempting to compete with other 
nations who pay their workmen smaller wages and work 
them a longer time. Great Britain, you will perceive, in 
the inexorable sternness with which she adheres to free trade, 
cannot, with her large intelligence and the progressive 
spirit of her leaders, refuse to follow the example of the 
United States by increasing the wages of her working peo- 
ple wherever she can, and by yielding to their demand for 
shortened hours ; and it is natural that her manufacturers 
should suffer from their confessed inability to maintain 
their position in a market of which their German and Bel- 
gian rivals are the masters. The gloomy picture told by 
the official authorities of the revolting degradation and 
misery of the working-women of the "Black Country" 
may be called the sombre background to the situation of 
those who are known to be more comfortable, and yet 
whose future is darkened by the saddest forebodings. I 
will enter into no encomium upon what is called the pro- 
tection policy of the United States, which we have been 
constrained to adhere to in consequence of our great debt, 
and which we might yet consistently maintain in view of 
the concessions of our British cousins ; but I will close this 
letter by asking you to read the communication in the 
London Observer (October 3), addressed by Mr. David A. 
Wells, late United States Revenue Commissioner, to Mr. 



3°° 



THE BLACK COUNTRY. 



T. B. Potter, M.P., one of the free-trade leaders. The 
merit of this letter of Mr. Wells is his appeal to the hesi- 
tating carpet-manufacturers of England to be represented 
at the Philadelphia Exhibition. It is true he invites them 
to reconsider their refusal on the ground that their presence 
will be an argument in favor of the free-trade doctrines of 
Mr. Bright and Mr. Potter. We are not afraid to com- 
pare the two systems, especially in the light of such ad- 
missions as I have quoted from official sources and from 
the columns of the London Times. The International 
Exhibition of 1876 will be nothing if not cosmopolitan. 
It will be something more than a comparison of fabrics : it 
will be an interchange of great thoughts and great ideas, 
and we shall be as glad to welcome the free-traders of 
England as the protectionists of France. 

"United States. August, 1875. 
" To Thomas Bay ley Potler, Esq*, Af.P., Secretary of the Cobdcn Club. 

" Dear Sir: It is not necessary for me to inform you that an Interna- 
tional Exhibition of the products of all nations, commemorative of the 
completion of the first hundred years of the United States as a nation, will 
open in the city of Philadelphia in May next. To be present and con- 
tribute to this Exhibition, an invitation to the people of all countries has 
been officially extended by the President of the United States, and from 
Great Britain especially, by reason of a common blood and close com- 
mercial intercourse, a cordial response has been anticipated. An impres- 
sion, however, very generally prevails in the United States that foreign 
manufacturers, artists, and artisans are not disposed to contribute of their 
products to this Exhibition — an impression due, doubtless, in part to some 
recent remarks of Mr. Bright, and also to the circumstance that, in at least 
one instance, an entire class of English manufacturers (English carpets) 
have considered and officially determined not to participate. For what 
inducement, it has been pertinently asked, can be offered to citizens of 
other countries to send to the United States specimens of their skill, excel- 
lence, and cheapness in production, when the laws and fiscal policy of the 
United States have for years been specially framed and maintained with a 
view of excluding these same products from their markets, and also for 
preventing their own citizens from taking advantage, through the recipro- 
cal exchange of their domestic products, of this same skill, excellence, or 
cheapness ? 



THE BLACK' COUNTRY. 



301 



"Pertinent undoubtedly as is this question, and difficult as it certainly 
must be for any citizen of the United States interested in the Exhibition to 
satisfactorily answer it, it is nevertheless my opinion that foreign manufac- 
turers will make a grievous mistake in withholding their products from the 
Philadelphia Exhibition of 1876, and that there are in some respects more 
cogent reasons, even, for their contributing to the United States Centennial 
than have existed in the case of any of the prior European international 
exhibitions. For what better opportunity can possibly be afforded to a 
foreign manufacturer to convince a benighted people of the terrible economic 
blunder committed in restricting exchanges by an extravagant, prohibitory 
tariff on imports than to publicly contrast the prices of foreign productions, 
free of duty, or under moderate imposts, imposed solely with a view to 
revenue, with the prevailing prices under the existing American tariff? In 
short, I have no doubt that by a judicious show of foreign commodities, 
bearing placards stating clearly the conditions and cost of production, 
more can be accomplished in a single season in educating the American 
people up to a clear perception of the immense benefits certain to result 
from an unrestricted commercial intercourse with foreign nations, such as 
now exists between the separate and industrially diverse States of Ihe Union, 
than h;is been achieved by all that has been written and said on this subject 
in tli is country during the last quarter of a century. 

"Through you, therefore, as Secretary of the Cobden Club, I desire to 
impress upon the members of the Club, and upon all friends of economic 
reform in Europe and elsewhere, the importance of urging foreign manu- 
facturers to send to the Philadelphia Exhibition not only a full and typical 
assortment of their respective products, but that each exhibitor also cause 
to be prepared for exhibition or general distribution therewith a clear and 
succinct statement of the price at which his goods are now sold in the 
United States under the existing American tariff, and which they could be 
sold for in gold if allowed importation free of duty, or under a duty of 
twenty per cent, ad valorem. To do this it will not be necessary, in my 
opinion, to obtain any official authorization in advance from the Directors 
of the Exhibition; for the fundamental idea involved in all industrial 
exhibitions, and more especially those of an international character, is 
education in respect to all the conditions involved in the production and 
use of the things exhibited. So that it may be confidently asserted that 
if any attempt should be seriously made at Philadelphia to restrain any 
exhibitor from properly stating the cost or selling price of his commodities 
under varying conditions, the motive would be so obviously a desire to 
prevent, for purely selfish and class interests, the people from obtaining 
legitimate information, that public opinion would not for one moment tol- 
erate the restriction. 

" In further illustration of this subject, I append the following extract 
of a letter recently addressed to me by Mr. ]. S. Moore, of New York 

26 



3° 2 



CENTENNIAL ITEMS. 



one of my former official assistants under the Government, whose thorough 
acquaintance with our American fiscal system enables him most happily to 
confirm my views in respect to the opportunity now afforded for exposing 
to the people of the United States the extravagance and absurdities of*" 
their existing tariff: 'As an example of what may be taught at Philadel- 
phia,' writes Mr. Moore, ' suppose we take the well-known fabric which 
bears the name of " alpaca." A quality of this article of women's wear, 
which costs in Bradford, England, from eight to nine pence per yard, 
cannot be sold in New York, owing to a duty of sixty-seven per cent, ad 
valorem, and a premium of from twelve to fifteen per cent, on gold, for 
less than thirty-eight to forty cents currency. But if an exhibitor of this 
quality of fabrics should append to them a placard bearing in clear-printed 
letters words to this effect : " This alpaca, which now sells in New York for 
forty cents per yard currency, could, if admitted duty free, be sold for 
twenty-two cents per yard gold," then " he who runs may read," and needs 
no interpreter to tell him the meaning of what he reads ; and if a similar 
course were taken by all foreign exhibitors and a truly great display of 
foreign goods were made, then every woman, to say nothing of the men, 
who enters that devoted "Centennial" will become a free-trader, and I need 
hardly prophesy to you the influence such an important auxiliary will have 
on future political platforms and elections. The Centennial " cactus tariff" 
may thus blossom for the last time, and then wither under the glass roof 
of the Philadelphia Exhibition, with no prospect, let us hope, of blossom- 
ing again with the coming century.' 

" I am, yours most respectfully, 

" David A. Wells. 
London, October, 1875. 



, 



L X X I. 



Centennial Items. 

r 

It is a great satisfaction to report the voluntary activity 



of all the Americans that I have met now travelling abroad 
in presenting our International Exhibition to their friends 
in Europe. Mr. Edward D. Holton, one of the Centen- 
nial Commissioners for Wisconsin, has just returned from 
a long tour through Northern Europe full of enthusiasm 



CENTENNl. t L ITEMS. 



3°3 



and good news. His letter to a leading paper in Wiscon- 
sin, which lie has kindly read to me, relating his experience 
abroad and abounding in excellent suggestions, will no 
doubt be welcome reading to his numerous friends at home 
and will have a good effect in other quarters. Mr. Holton 
is a gentleman of true American energy and progress, and 
his intercourse with many of the public men of Germany, 
Russia, and Sweden, including in the latter the King and 
Queen, has awakened a new interest for the Centennial in 
those countries. 

Our townsman, Mr. Joseph Patterson, who is about re- 
turning home, has been in steady communication with 
influential people in London, and lias rendered efficient 
service by his disinterested and intelligent efforts. In- 
deed, the daily discussion of this subject in foreign journals 
makes it impossible for any American traveller to remain 
indifferent to the cause which excites so much curiosity 
among strangers. Every variety of product and invention 
will be sent forward for exhibition, and not only in the 
merely material arts, but the attention of the Europeans is 
constantly awakened to the historical aspects of the Expo- 
sition. For instance, I am promised a painting which 
represents a party of Indians gold-washing in a pool by the 
river Apalachicola — an engraving of which, by Debry, is 
to be found in the "Historia American," an old Latin 
work published in Frankfort in 1634. It is not known 
who painted the picture. The figures are all cleverly fin- 
ished in bas-relief, and in a manner totally different from 
that of any known master. It is on canvas, fifty by forty 
inches. Photographs have been taken of this curious relic 
by the British Museum, one of which I shall send to our 
National Museum. The painting itself is at present in the 
Leeds Exhibition, where it will remain till the end of Oc- 
tober, and where it attracts much attention. 

Mr. Stephen I. Tucker, the very accomplished Rouge 



304 CENTENNIAL ITEMS. 

Croix Pursuivant in the Heralds' College, to whom I have 
been much indebted for valuable information, sends me 
the enclosed paragraphs, which may attract the notice of 
old Philadelphians and antiquarians, and he will be grate- 
ful for any information that may be forwarded to him. 
His address is " Heralds' College, London." 

1. Tucker Family. — In or about the year 1808 Mr. Jonathan Tucker, of 
the city of Exeter, England, settled in Philadelphia with his wife (Sarah 
Chappie) and an only daughter. He was shortly afterwards visited by his 
father, Mr. William Tucker (of Exeter), who died in Philadelphia. Mr. 
Micaijah Tucker (brother of Jonathan) also went to Philadelphia, with an 
only son (Thomas), before his father"s death. Any information as to the 
dates of death and places of burial of William Tucker, and Jonathan and 
Micaijah, his sons, or of the subsequent history of Thomas Tucker, son of 
Micaijah, or of the daughter of Jonathan, will be thankfully acknowledged, 
and all expenses attending it paid by Mr. Tucker. 

2. Tucker Family. — Wanted to purchase, " A Genealogical and Histori- 
cal Account of the Descendants of Henry Tucker," by George H. Tucker. 
New York, 1851. Printed by William C. Martin, ill John Street. Any 
other works by persons of the name or relating to the family of Tucker 
will be purchased. 

3. " Beauties of Tucker." — A small volume so called, being a selection 
from the writings of Abraham Tucker. Published in America. Copies 
wanted. 

4. Sanger Family. — Genealogy of the Descendants of Richard Sanger, 
the Puritan, by Rev. Abner Morse. Boston: George Coolidge, 1851. 
Copy wanted. 

5. Genealogy of the Descendants of Several Ancient Puritans. — By Rev. 
Abner Morse. Boston, 1857. Copy wanted. 

6. Life of Henry Funster, First President of Harvard College. — By 
Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, D.D. Boston, 1872. Copy wanted.* 

Let me say, en passant, that justice compels the state- 
ment that Mr. living's Macbeth at the Lyceum is not 
nearly so successful as his Hamlet. His great popularity 
in London and his admitted genius have saved him from 
criticisms which would otherwise have been severe, and, as 

Xos. 2, 4, 5, 6 are all included in Mr. Whitmore's " American Genealo- 
gist." 



A NATIONAL CAT-SHOW. 



3°5 



it is, there is no doubt that the play will have to be with- 
drawn at an early day. The English public are too famil- 
iar with the ideal of Macready as Macbeth, and Mrs. 
Siddons as Lady Macbeth, not to speak of the noble per- 
sonation of Edwin Forrest, who is still remembered and 
praised by those who recall his performances in London 
some forty years ago ; and thus Mr. living's conception 
appears feeble and insufficient. 
London, October, 1875. 



LXXII. 

A National Cat-Show. 



Curiosity is a controlling element in human nature, and 
yet when Charles Sprague made it the subject of a beautiful 
poem many years ago he never anticipated, even in his 
fruitful imagination, what strange schemes it would suggest. 
He never, certainly, dreamed of a baby-show or a fat man's 
exhibition. He might have had a vision of dogs in pens, 
of goats, and of donkeys, but I do not think he ever con- 
ceived such a thing as a national cat-show in London. And 
yet it is just that which is now going on at the Crystal Palace, 
Sydenham, and this is the seventh of the annual series. 
Some years ago an ingenious American advertised for thou- 
sands of cats, which were to be utilized for their skins, but 
the enterprise closed — no joke is intended — in a catastrophe, 
and it was not until the authorities of the Crystal Palace 
took the matter in hand that our feline friends were put to 
any practical purpose outside of their fidelity as household 
favorites and their dexterity as rat-catchers. The present 

26* 



306 A NATIONAL CAT-SHOW. 

season has attracted no less than two hundred and thirteen 
exhibitors. It would not seem possible that there is suf- 
ficient interest in the matter in England, in these busy 
times, to aid in the breeding and training of cats. Never- 
theless, such is the case, and the fact that the seventh an- 
nual cat-show of the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, attracts 
such a number of exhibitors, shows it. 

In my letter on the London dogs I referred to a home 
where they were cared for and made comfortable when lost 
or neglected. There is no such institution provided for the 
cats of London, simply because, being more domesticated 
and without the peripatetic desires of their canine acquaint- 
ances, a cat rarely gets so very far away from the hearth 
as to need a search-warrant to bring it back. When such 
an accident occurs, pussy relies upon two sources for suste- 
nance. First, the happily abounding charity of the people 
of London to a poor creature suffering from the pangs of 
hunger. It is not at all exceptional to see some Good 
Samaritan in the form of a lady, frequently in the highest 
class of society, going out of her way to purchase food for 
one of these strayed and starving inhabitants of the London 
" area" or basement of the houses. The other source from 
which a lost cat is most certain to derive food is from the 
nearest pantry or kitchen, and then the rats in the old 
streets. I should say that half the households of London 
and Philadelphia each contain a cat — not confined to the 
residences of the rich, the middle class, and the very poor, 
but many business houses keep sometimes two or three ; 
they are found to be extremely useful, without causing 
trouble. You see them everywhere. In the machine-room 
of a steam manufactory you look up, and there, sitting quite 
comfortably — perhaps within a few inches of a wheel revolv- 
ing at the rate of some thousands of evolutions a minute — 
is Miss Pussy. Last year, when visiting the yard where 
Mr. Charles Jamrach temporarily keeps the wild beasts 



A NATIONAL CAT-SHOW. 



3°7 



destined for the various Zoological Gardens of Europe and 
America, I saw two or three tame cats, one of which was 
sitting just above an iron cage containing a ferocious jaguar, 
a late arrival, much interested in the movements of the 
beautiful prisoner. One of them, the head-keeper informed 
me, had been in his yard for more than two years, but its 
predecessor had met with a sad but sudden death by drop- 
ping into the mouth of a hungry lioness. 

So much care and love being devoted to cats in London, 
it was not surprising that the efforts of the Crystal Palace 
authorities to improve the breed, as well as to encourage 
the kind treatment of the animals, should be successful. 
At first, numbers of people were attracted by. the novelty 
of the scene alone, but, though this section of the visitors 
to the cat-show is still large, many now come with a party 
of children. The centre transept of the Crystal Palace, 
at once a beautiful promenade and a delightful resting- 
place, was crowded by the visitors who came to see the 
cats in cages down each side. Each cage contained a 
cushion for pussy, and a little saucer filled with milk, etc., 
while the prize cats were distinguished by a blue flag hung 
from the top. Some idea of the enterprise of the authori- 
ties at the Palace may be gathered from the fact that about 
one hundred and thirty prizes were offered for competition, 
from five pounds to fifteen shillings, while marks of dis- 
tinction, which are equally coveted, such as "very highly 
commended," are also awarded. In certain classes, where 
there is a great competition, and only say three prizes, those 
cats which are highly commended have a good chance of 
carrying off the first prizes at local shows or exhibitions, 
where their standing would be more completely recognized. 
The best tabby cat received a silver cup. For this prize 
there was a general rivalry; there were thirty-six candi- 
dates, and as they were all first-class the decision of the 
judges was not made until after much discussion. The 



308 A NATIONAL CAT-SHOW. 

prizeman at last appeared in Master Shuckard's "Tommy 
Dodd," aged nine years, and valued at one hundred pounds 
(five hundred dollars); the winner of the second prize was 
also held at the same amount, while the value attached to 
others in the same class was never below five pounds. Miss 
Shorthouse's cat, "age unknown, possesses a tabular pedi- 
gree for six generations," and is valued by its owner at 
ten thousand pounds, but in face of these substantial argu- 
ments Miss Shorthouse's favorite was not among the prizes, 
only receiving a high "commendation." Others of the 
candidates were magnificent creatures, graceful in their 
movements, their furs shining with gloss resembling the 
richest velvet. These cats were the best in the show, and 
were specially considered by the judges to be a superb 
class. The average weight of each was about sixteen and 
one-half pounds. One of the prizes was for the " heaviest 
cat in the show," and this was won by a specimen weigh- 
ing a few ounces over eighteen pounds. This gentleman 
was so overcome with joy at the honor he had won that lie 
gave himself up to amusement the whole day, glad to en- 
gage in a game with the first youngster that came along. 
Few out of the five hundred pussies showed bad tempers ; 
the exceptions were among the black cats, which, for the 
most part, seemed discontented. Very different was the 
conduct of the long-haired Angora species, with their 
splendid coats white as snow, their pink eyes, and fiery 
appearance, forming one of the most interesting features. 

The crowds of children who almost, in these days, live 
at the Palace make their choice without regard to the deci- 
sion of the judges, and their favorites are at once exalted 
among themselves. The newest juvenile favorites are three 
kittens belonging to one family, of the Angora breed, 
strikingly beautiful, and a lady cat, the happy possessor of 
eight kittens about two days old, all like their mother, 
perfectly white and quite undistinguishable from one an- 



A NATIONAL CATS HO IV. 



3°9 



other. Another specimen had greatness thrust upon him, 
because, poor fellow, he had the misfortune to be born with- 
out forelegs. This gentleman gets about after the fashion 
of the kangaroo, and his manner of getting over the ground 
is certainly curious, if not graceful. This unique specta- 
cle is under distinguished auspices; as usual, a titled per- 
sonage heads the list of patrons, which closes with the 
name of Charles Robert Darwin, the renowned philoso- 
pher and naturalist. In one of his last works he infers that 
"man is descended from a hairy quadruped, furnished with 
a tail and pointed ears, probably arboreal in its habits." 
He may have found the feline species a proper theme for 
his researches. Mr. Darwin is now in his sixty-fifth year, 
and has been greatly honored in his day and time. In 
1S39 he married the granddaughter of Josiah Wedgwood, 
the well-known manufacturer and importer of earthen or 
ceramic ware. I never think of him without recollecting 
what the venerable Joseph Henry, of the Smithsonian 
Institute, said to me of the Darwinian theory of "The 
Descent of Man," after somebody had been assailing the 
eccentric English scientist: "Well, sir, I don't care to 
know about where we come from, but this I will say, that 
I would rather think that the human race had risen from 
the ape, than that it descended from the angels." 
London, October, 1875. 



3 io PANIC ON 'CHANGE. 



LXXIII. 

Panic on 'Change. — Turkish Insolvency and American Securities. 

Just now the English capitalists have been struck be- 
tween wind and water by the scarcely unexpected half 
repudiation of Turkish bonds by the Government of the 
Sultan, and I am reminded of the forcible words of an Eng- 
lish traveller after he had examined the internal condition 
of the great Mohammedan Empire. " The day will come," 
he said, "and that is not far off, when civilized Europe 
will be compelled to take stern action in regard to Turkey, 
and for my part I think that if it were blotted from the 
map of the world, and divided among other nations, it 
would be the best thing that could happen to its people 
and to thousands of foreigners who are constantly investing 
in its funds with a certainty of bankruptcy." These words, 
uttered only two weeks ago, are now recalled in the face of 
a recent decree of the Turkish Government, which is thus 
characterized in The Times, the most moderate and careful 
of all the London journals : 

" There is no need to emphasize the fact, which was stated in our second 
edition of yesterday, that the Turkish Government is unable to pay the full 
claims of its creditors. Sufficiently grave is the simple announcement that 
from the ist of January next the Porte will, for five years, pay the interest 
and the amortissement of its public debt, half in cash and half in bonds 
bearing interest at the rate of five per cent. Thus the holders of Turkish 
stock will find the half of their dividends reduced to an uncertain quantity 
for a certain time, and beyond that period the possibilities must, of course, 
be dim. Such an announcement has naturally caused much commotion 
in the circles both of politics and finance; yet there is no reason why it 
should have surprised any moderately well-informed person, except as all 
great changes startle us at the moment of their occurrence even when 



TURKISH INSOLVENCY. 311 

they have been clearly foreseen. It has for a long time been certain that, 
unless the Porte should essentially change its plan of administration, it 
would be forced to come to such a decision as it has now reached, and 
every year made the prospects of such an amendment seem more hope- 
less. Ambassadors lectured it on the ruinous waste of its expenditure. 
Our own Government plainly warned it again and again that it was on the 
high road to bankruptcy. 

" But the main cause of the embarrassment is the ease with which Turkey 
has been able to borrow money. Her expenditure was comparati\ cly 
small before the Crimean war, because she was then content with a form 
of government which, if very bad, was also very cheap. No Ottoman 
minister then thought of public works. The cost of police was as trivial 
as the institution itself. The army was small, badly fed, poorly clothed, 
irregularly paid, and therefore far from costly. The enormous expense of 
ironclads still lay in the future. The Porte was, of course, in a state of 
financial embarrassment, but it resorted only to the rude expedients of 
debasing the coin and issuing an inconvertible paper currency. The rev- 
enue was so small that it imperiously checked the extravagance of the 
Palace. Rut everything was changed as if by magic when Turkey entered 
into the community of European nations, when the Great Powers en- 
couraged her to develop her resources, and when she found how much 
more easy it was to negotiate loans than to raise taxes. Her expenditure 
then mounted swiftly, and the waste has been reckless. As fast as one 
loan was spent another was raised, and there have been no fewer than 
fourteen in about twenty years. The modest demand for three million 
pounds, with which she began in 1854. had grown in 1865 to a call for 
thirty-six million pounds, and last year her necessities impelled her to ask 
for forty million pounds. Thus she has piled up a debt of more than one 
hundred and eighty million pounds in twenty years, and she has to spend 
nearly half her revenue in paying her 1 creditors. As the riches of her soil 
are undeveloped, even that enormous debt might not cause much misgiving 
if most of it had been applied productively ; but little has been done either 
to. construct railways or open mines. Each loan has been used to build 
ironclads which are worse than useless, to supply the means of riotous 
waste, and to pay the creditors of the Empire. The Porte, in fact, has been 
systematically living beyond its means, borrowing money everywhere to 
!\ its extravagance, and then borrowing again to pay the interest of 
the loans already raised. As fast as one amount has become due another 
has been borrowed to pay for the first. Such advances could be obtained 
only at a very high rate of interest, and thus the real sums obtained by 
Turkev have been fir less than those she has promised to pay. Still, she 
has obtained an enormous sum, and by far the greater part of it is represented 
bv nothing whatever. It is as clean gone as if it had been flung into the sea." 



312 



Ti'KA'fS/I INSOLVENCY. 



The scene on 'Change after the Sultan's repudiating de- 
cree was published was exceedingly exciting. A resistless 
panic took possession of the whole market. Turkish 
securities fell with appalling rapidity. Nothing, indeed, 
stood firm but the Massachusetts loan, which was all taken 
in a moment, and if it had been larger it would have been 
likewise instantly absorbed. The Turkish and Egyptian 
stocks were for a time unsalable. Then came a reaction, 
which was followed by another collapse. The corn market 
has been steadily rising, which is a very good indication 
for the United States. The money article of The Times 
tries to stop the panic; other papers have gone so far as to 
demand the interference of the Governments of Europe in 
regard to Turkey. It is clear that something must be done 
at once. Nothing, in fact, but the known designs of Rus- 
sia against the Ottoman Porte would prevent such a parti- 
tion of the Turkish Empire as would close out her constant 
drafts upon European capital and confidence.* 

Now let me turn to another side of the financial picture. 
In the midst of this Turkish panic, Mr. Edward D. Holton, 
Centennial Commissioner from Wisconsin, asked me to 
accompany him to the International Chamber of Commerce, 
where the Mississippi Valley Society have rooms. The 
president of the society is John Crossley, Esq., M.P., and 
his associates are all Englishmen of the highest character. 
Their special objects are stated as follows : 

First. To fix attention upon the Valley of the Mississ : ppi as the ^rcat 
coming market ; the world's new th nd consumption. 

Second. To promote the application of European capital to the develop- 
ment of this market ; to the cultivation of the soil ; the working of the 
mines; the improvement and cheapening of inland and ocean transporta- 
tion, and the establishment of direct trading. 

* The Sultan's decree reducing the interest on the Turkish debt to one- 
half of the legal amount has the date of " October 6, 1875." Within six 
months after this another decree deferred until July the payment of the 
instalment due in April, 1876. 



AMERICAN SECURITIES. 



3 T 3 



Third. To direct European labor to the same objects. 

Fourth. To establish in Europe the legitimate business credit of the South 
Atlantic and Valley States by defending the integrity of honest operations 
against unfounded prejudice; by furnishing correct infori on about 
public and private enterprise; by piv I adoption of immature 

undertakings by exposing adventurous schemes and impostures, and by 
promoting greater personal intercourse between the two peoples. 

In conversation with the Directors I found that they had 
fixed upon the United States as, after all, the safest in which 
to invest British capital, and I need not tell you that the 
explosion in regard to Turkish securities has given extraor- 
dinary emphasis to their mission. At a moderate calcula- 
tion there are now in London from six hundred million 
to eight hundred million dollars in gold upon which 
literally no interest is paid, and which needs only assurance 
of security to induce its investment at moderate rates. This 
Mississippi Valley Society proposes to examine and report 
upon the resources of the entire Mississippi Valley by 
means of deputations to be sent out by the parent office 
during the summer and autumn of 1876. The chairman 
of the Executive Committee, Mr. N. V. Squarey, is an ex- 
perienced traveller, having visited nearly all the countries 
on the globe, including the United States, and it was very 
interesting to hear him give his reasons why the money of 
the English could, after all that has happened in our coun- 
try, be more profitably trusted with us than with any other 
nation in the world. Mr. Crossley, the president, has only 
lately returned from America with the same impressions. 
As yet they have not selected the branches with which 
they intend to correspond and co-operate, but the scheme 
of their deputations is comprehensive and shows the earn- 
estness of the undertaking. There are six committees — 
one on real-estate loans, one on mining and mineral invest- 
ments, one on public-railway and other corporate securities, 
one on laws regulating investments, one on agriculture and 
immigration, and one on direct trade with Europe. The 
o 27 



3 J 4 



EV 'R OPE. IX FIXANCIAL JXSECCRITY. 



first deputation, which starts from New York and Philadel- 
phia on the 15th of July, 1876, for purposes of exploration, 
will consist of not less than fifty nor more than one hun- 
dred members. The second, same number, will start from 
the same cities on the 15th of August, 1876; the third, 
same number, will start from the same cities, September 
15, 1S76; the fourth, October 15, 1876; the fifth, Novem- 
ber 15, 1876. Each deputation will occupy about thirty 
days, and the American cities and towns at which each is 
to stop and the days they are to remain are marked out 
on the printed circular. 

There have been so many schemes of every description 
intended to divert British capital to America, many of 
them failures and some of them impostures, that the project 
I now have the honor to explain deserves from its high 
respectability the serious attention of our people, and with- 
out any more words I commend the matter to them. Mr. 
Holton, himself a cautious, prosperous man of business, 
has taken great pains to ascertain the personal and financial 
character of the members of this organization, and what I 
have written here meets his full approbation. 

London, October, 1875. 



LXXIV. 

European Financial Insecurity. — Atlantic Cable Tariff. — Restaurant Prices. 

It is not gracious to utilize the axiom that " it is an ill 
wind that blows nobody any good," but certainly the last 
financial calamity that has befallen Great Britain, and largely 
France and the Continent, awakens a general comment in 
regard to the money securities of the United States. Men 
everywhere contrast the hopeless bankruptcy of the Turks 



EUROPEAN FINANCIAL INSECURITY. 315 

with the conceded vitality of the Americans. The great 
error seems to have been that the English and French people 
were tempted to invest in Turkish bonds by high and un- 
natural rates of interest, s >me of them receiving as much 
as eighteen per cent. Here, as in all similar cases, ruin 
has been the result. The sad part of this case is that under 
the belief, growing out of the political protection extended 
over Turkey by the British and other great powers, many 
persons in humble circumstances and others with fixed in- 
comes, never thinking that the day of settlement must 
come to nations as well as to men, and believing that where 
the interest, however large, is regularly paid upon a debt 
steadily increasing, there is no need to look to the pay- 
ment of the debt itself, have thrown their little all into the 
vortex and have come to grief. To give you some idea of 
the statistics of this Turkish debt, which you will not fail 
to contrast with the figures of our own steadily-reducing 
national obligations, by the act repudiating half the in- 
terest of this debt the Turkish Government will save six 
million pounds annually, while England alone loses about 
eight millions of dollars a year, The result is that the 
English and French papers are crying out for a protec- 
torate over the Sultan. Some propose that the whole ma- 
chinery of Turkish government shall be taken in charge 
by the Great Powers, and others allege that Turkey should 
be blotted from the map of nations and divided among 
these powers. 

Turn now to another Europ:an country: Contrast the 
obligations and resources of Spain with those of the United 
States. In 1872 the consolidated debt of Spain was two 
hundred and ninety-seven millions three hundred and 
forty-three thousand pounds sterling. It is now known to 
exceed five hundred and thirty million pounds sterling, 
or over two billions six hundred and fifty millions of 
dollars. As late as April last the Spanish Secretary of 



316 EUROPEAN FINANCIAL INSECURITY. 

War declared that the war expenses would absorb the whole 
revenue of the country, leaving absolutely nothing for the 
other branches of the administration. The productive 
powers of Spain are paralyzed by the interruption of com- 
munication, the withdrawal of laborers from useful employ- 
ment, and the treading down of wealth by contending 
armies. Not to speak of the utterly impoverished condi- 
tion of many of the South American nations in which 
England has largely invested, it is not wonderful that cap- 
ital is looking steadily across the Atlantic, and that Amer- 
ican securities are once more accepted as the safest and 
most profitable. In this connection let me again direct 
you to the International Chamber of Commerce and the 
Mississippi Valley Society. 

A significant article in the London Times comments upon 
a recent speech of Sir Stafford Northcote, Chancellor of 
the Exchequer, and that of Mr. Grant Duff, president of 
the Economy and Trade section of the Social Congress at 
Brighton. Both of these distinguished authorities freely 
admit the rapid growth of the protection sentiment on the 
Continent, and the increasing embarrassments of the manu- 
facturers of Great Britain in consequence of the system of 
free trade under the financial policy of this Empire. These 
points cannot be too carefully considered by American 
statesmen, nor must the fact that discussion on this point 
has been awakened in Europe by voluntary action, and not 
in consequence of English opposition to protection in 
America, be left out of account. Now more than ever is 
it essential that all free-traders and protectionists should 
be represented next year at the Centennial Exposition. 
While they are discussing the subject with so much sincer- 
ity in Europe, they cannot certainly object to the honorable 
controversy which must result from a contrast with Amer- 
ican manufactures and arts under the revenue system of the 
United States. If parties in England and throughout the 



ATLANTIC CABLE TARIFF. 



3 r 7 



Continent which have insisted that free trade is not only 
the necessary condition of commerce, but that it is the 
essential means of universal comfort to the laboring classes, 
now openly divide on this question — and England herself 
freely confesses her alarm at the injuries inflicted upon her 
national interests by this much-boasted theory — how much 
allowance ought we not to make for differences of opinion 
on the same subject in a new country like the United 
States ? 

I see that the French steamer France, which left Havre 
for New York on the 25th of September, arrived safely at 
the latter port. She had on board the new panorama of 
the Siege of Paris, contracted and paid for by Mr. E. T. 
Dobbins and his Philadelphia associates, who intend to 
exhibit it in the iron building known as the Coliseum, in 
New York. After it has been seen there, the building and 
the panorama will be transferred to Philadelphia in time for 
the Centennial Exhibition. Great credit is due to Dr. 
Leonard R. Koecker, of Philadelphia, who was delegated 
by the American owners of the panorama to see to its 
speedy execution and transportation from France. He 
arrived in time, and amended to his duties, and with so 
much assiduity and energy that the contractors were enabled 
to comply with their obligations, and the good ship, to- 
gether with the chief artist and his family, was sent forward 
with its precious freight on the day fixed in the agreement. 
• There is a deep and growing hostility in England, and 
I am not surprised to see that it is spreading throughout 
the United States, in consequence of the over-prompt 
action of the Anglo-American Telegraph Company in 
restoring the tariff on telt grams between the United States 
and England to four shillings per word immediately after 
the accident by which the new Direct Cable was severed 
on the American side. This was simply quadrupling their 
fares, putting them up from one to four shillings a word in 

27* 



3'S 



RESTAURANT PRICES. 



consequence of this accident. So powerful has this Anglo- 
American monopoly become that many of the newspapers 
confess that, with its ability to break down all new-comers 
and force them to hand over their cable to them, no 
more capital can be raised to lay another cable. It remains 
to be seen whether this assumption is true. The intima- 
tion that the Direct Cable can never be repaired,* and that 
every effort will be made to prevent its reconstruction, so 
that the directors of the old company may share the ex- 
traordinary profits they have been realizing in consequence 
of the complete control of the market, will undoubtedly 
increase the popular feeling against them, and compel 
another line, even if they should be powerful enough to 
defeat the noble efforts of Mr. Siemens and his associates 
to restore the broken link of the Direct Cable. 

I have been giving a little attention to the prices charged 
by some of the best restaurants in London, in view of a 
statement which excites great satisfaction throughout Europe 
that there are to be several large eating-houses on the Eu- 
ropean plan within or near the Centennial Grounds next 
year. When I repeat to you that I am constantly receiving 
intelligence from all parts of Great Britain and the Con- 
tinent that great numbers of strangers will visit us next 
year, you will understand how anxious they are in regard to 
their accommodations when they arrive. These people are 
so accustomed to moderate charges for good living, that it 
requires considerable ingenuity to convince them that com- 
petition in the United States is as certain to result advanta- 
geously as it does in Europe. Five shillings, or a dollar and 
a quarter in gold, secures for you a capital dinner without 
wine at Verrey's, on Regent Street. I have known two per- 
sons to dine well for five shillings at the Cafe Royal, also 



* This intimation, in which the wish was probably master of the thought t 
turned out to be incorrect. 



STONEHENGE. 



3*9 



on Regent Street, and Blanchard's Beak Street restaurant 
supplies meals at the following rates : With soup or fish, 
sixty-two and a half cents; with soup and fish, seventy-five 
cents. Without soup or fish you obtain for two shillings 
(fifty cents) ham croquettes, curried chicken, potatoes, 
roast beef, roast mutton, ham and beans, cheese, and bread 
and butter, and for sixpence extra boiled fowl. A single 
dish of mayonnaise of chicken costs seventy-five cents; a 
chop, including vegetables and cheese, one shilling and 
sixpence (thirty-seven and a half cents) ; a steak, with 
vegetables and cheese, fifty cents. Then there are dinners 
for eighty-seven and a half cents, with soup, fish, fruit, and 
sweets; then dinners for one dollar and twenty-five cents, 
with more elaborate courses. If you order dinners a la 
carte it is more expensive. Game, lobster, real turtle soup, 
if ordered, of course increase the price of the dinner; but 
nothing can excel the meals in the quality of cooking and 
in the generous supply that you receive for from fifty to 
seventy-five cents. 
London, October, 1875. 



LXXV. 

Stonehenge. — Old and New Sarum. 

The stranger who visits the city of Salisbury, in the 
county of Wilts, eighty-two miles southwest from London, 
must be immediately captivated by the exquisite quiet and 
loveliness of the place. It is not the seat of commerce, 
but rather of tradition — a word far more expressive than 
"antiquity" — from which one traces the decay of prim- 
itive manners and customs, the growth of what is known 



3 2 ° 



STONEHENGE. 



as mediaeval civilization, the overthrow of an ancient re- 
ligion, and the successive conquests by a new order of 
things typified in the present establishment, "the Church 
of England." On this spot we have a dim conception of 
ages so long ago that their stony monuments still excite 
discussion over their origin and objects. Here are the 
rude beginnings of government — Pagan, Roman, Danish, 
Saxon, and Norman. Here, also, we honor as we wonder 
at the superb creations of the original Catholic Church, 
and, finally, the sequestration of all its great temples under 
a successive and more successful autonomy. 

There has been so much curiosity in America about 
Stonehenge that a few words in reference to it may be in- 
teresting to my readers. This mystical monument is sit- 
uated about seven miles north of Salisbury, crowning the 
memorable Salisbury Plain referred to more than once in 
Shakspeare, and approached, until you come to the Plain 
itself, through a country of romantic scenery and refined 
cultivation ; in fact, a region in which the wealth of modern 
England is displayed in handsome villas, cosy little hamlets, 
broad and emerald-green fields, and that peculiar silence 
which, in this little island, supplies a strange contrast to 
its overcrowded populace. Nothing impresses me more, 
as I reflect upon the twenty millions of people in England 
alone, than the evident absence of inhabitants until you 
reach the busy cities. But the solitude of the rural dis- 
tricts is explained by the accumulation of the soil in the 
hands of a comparatively small number of families. 

To return to Stonehenge — a mystery not less inscrutable 
than the Pyramids, and often compared to them. Some 
of the historians call these strange remains a mysterious 
temple, which originally consisted of two circles and two 
ovals. The outward circle is about three hundred feet in 
circumference, composed of huge, upright stones bearing 
others placed horizontally on their tops. These horizontal 



STONEHENGE. 321 

stones touch each other, and form a continuous circular 
crowned arch. Irregular in form, they bear marks of 
having been wrought with tools. There were originally 
thirty uprights and as many imposts. Of the former seven- 
teen are still standing ; of the latter only six. The uprights 
are about sixteen feet high and eighteen feet in circum- 
ference, of a quality of hard sandstone, which must have 
been carried from a point at least seventeen miles from the 
spot on which they stand. At the distance of between 
eight and nine feet from the outer circle is the inner circle, 
composed of similar stones irregular in shape, bearing no 
marks of ever having been wrought. Of this circle, con- 
taining originally forty stones, the traces of twenty only 
remain. The sanctum, which is the most imposing part 
of the structure, consists of two ovals, formed of five pair 
of other stones, or two large upright stones, with a third 
laid over them. They rise gradually from east to west. 
The first on your left hand, as you stand with your back to 
it, is sixteen feet three inches high ; the next seventeen 
feet two inches high, and the central one twenty-one feet 
six inches. One of the uprights of this grand central 
group has fallen, and is broken into two pieces, together 
measuring twenty-six feet three inches. The other upright 
is nine feet out of the perpendicular, and is the most 
striking object in the group. 

Stonehenge overlooks Salisbury, a, plain ridge on ridge, 
which leads the eye onward to the bolder hills of the ex- 
treme distance. Although civilization is trenching upon 
it, it still retains the aspect of a desert solitude. The date, 
origin, and uses of this peculiar memorial are unknown to 
the most critical antiquarians. But we have Stonehenge 
restored, resembling an ancient circular British temple, 
which it is believed to have been, with strong, upright 
columns, overlaid with a heavy stone entablature, and a 
main entrance or gate, of a larger, although of the same 
o* 



322 



OLD AND NEW SARUM. 



kind. The accepted theory is that within this stony circle 
the religious ceremonies of the Druids were performed, and 
this speculation is sustained by the fact that the tenets of 
Druidism in early Britain were coeval with its original in- 
habitants. A similarity is traced between these tenets and 
those of the Brahmins of India, the Magi of Persia, and 
the Chaldeans of Assyria. The earliest published notice 
of Stonehenge was in the ninth century, by Nennius, who 
narrates the particulars of the murder of four hundred and 
sixty British noblemen at a conference between King Vorti- 
gern and Hengist, in the latter part of the fifth century, 
at or near the spot on which Stonehenge is placed, and 
attributes the monument to the surviving Britons, who thus 
endeavored to perpetuate the tragedy. But nearly all other 
writers are at a loss to devise why such a work should have 
been raised. One insists that supernatural agency was 
called in to remove the stones from Kildare in Ireland : 
another, that the monument was raised by the Britons to 
the memory of Aurelius Ambrosius ; while John Aubrey 
attributes the origin to the Britons prior to the Roman 
invasion. Still, Stonehenge is connected with the primi- 
tive form of worship, which appears to have been coexten- 
sive with the migration of the human race ; a form of 
worship which existed among all the nations of antiquity, 
and was transmitted to mediaeval times, still rampant as in 
the worship of Siva at Benares, or lingering in the wearing 
of amulets and the like, as in Italy at the present day. 
Men of science have written huge volumes upon Stone- 
henge, and poets have sung its mysteries, while grave and 
earnest archaeological disputations have arisen among its 
• ruins without settling upon any definite idea of its origin. 
As you approach and leave Salisbury, by rail, and as you 
ride out to and from Stonehenge, another piece of antiquity, 
not so inscrutable, is Old Sarum, described in a favorite 
Salisbury ballad, by Dr. Pope: 



OLD AND NEW SARUM. 323 

" Old Sarum was built on a dry, barren hill, 
A great many years ago ; 
'Twas a Roman town of strength and renown, 
As its stately ruins show." 

It is a combination of deserted mounds elevated above 
the plain, below a once flourishing and populous city, now 
standing out upon the wide landscape like some mysterious 
formation in the wild regions of the Rocky Mountains. 
Continuous inquiries have produced a reasonable history 
of Old Sarum, and the study of it proves equally the an- 
tiquity of Great Britain and the repeated terrible struggles of 
its primitive and later populations before reaching its pres- 
ent unparalleled civilization. The accepted account is that 
Old Sarum was wrested from the Britons during the reign 
of the Emperor Claudius, when his general, Vespasian, 
captured twenty British towns and subdued two powerful 
nations. Its importance as a subsequent Roman station 
may be conjectured from the fact that six Roman roads 
radiated from it. After the expulsion of the Romans Old 
Sarum becomes more familiar to the antiquary, and grad- 
ually, as these half- Pagan forces were compelled to retire, 
we trace the growth of the works of the Church of Rome 
in Great Britain. In the early part of the eighth century, 
Iva, King of the West Saxons, endowed the Church of St. 
Martin's in this vicinity. In 871 the outer entrenchment 
is supposed to have been added by Alfred the Great imme- 
diately after his accession to the throne, and within a month 
"after his great battle with the Danes at Wilton. 

After the successful Norman invasion all the States of 
the Kingdom were summoned to Old Sarum to do homage 
to William the Conqueror, and to submit their lands to the 
military tenure. Successive councils, religious and polit- 
ical, were held here. Royal Courts gave dignity and 
power to the place, and in the twelfth century the prelates 
and the barons of the realm came to do honor to the mon- 



3 2 4 



OLD AND NEW SARUM. 



arch. These were the days of princely pomp and church- 
man's pride. At last, after repeated vicissitudes, battles, 
and changes of government, the site of the new cathedral 
at Salisbury or New Sarum was laid April 28, 1220, and 
with the growth of that magnificent Roman Catholic edi- 
fice began the decay of Old Sarum, the Saxon, and the rise 
of the Norman rival city, so that now while Salisbury is 
brilliant in all the comforts of modern times, nothing is left 
of the primeval castle and court but a deserted mound and a 
ghastly ruin, at once a surprise to the passing traveller and 
a source of interest to the enthusiastic student. On the 
removal of the cathedral Old Sarum rapidly decayed. The 
besom of destruction swept over it. Tower and town fell, 
and the materials were carried away. As the local histo- 
rian expresses it, " Old Sarum can hardly be said to be 
present even in the ruin of a State, for the city has been 
removed to the valley, and the deserted hill is restored to 
nature." Another writer says, " The Briton has driven 
his war-car down its sides ; the Roman has waved his Im- 
perial truncheon from its summit ; the invading Saxon has 
planted his dragon standard on its top; the avenging Dane 
has rolled the blazing tide of war at its feet, and here Wil- 
liam, the conqueror of England, received the kneeling 
homage of an assembled kingdom." It looks now like 
some vast mausoleum reared only to cover and commemo- 
rate the dead. 

In the fourteenth century King Edward the Third 
granted Old Sarum the right, as a then populous borough, 
to send two members to Parliament. This privilege con- 
tinued to be exercised long after the borough had fallen 
into decay and utter ruin, and when only two or three 
nominal burgesses could be found to vote. By the Reform 
Bill of 1832 this strange condition of affairs was abolished. 

I confess, as we entered what is called " the close," 
which surrounds the Cathedral, with its smooth, lawn-like 



OLD AND NEW SARUM. 



325 



expanse of ever-green turf, intersected with gravelled walks, 
planted with rows and avenues of fine trees, flanked on the 
outer square by English residences, most of them occupied 
by the canons of the Church, I did not wonder at the in- 
dignation with which the faithful Roman Catholic recalls 
the origin of these antiquated splendors, and mourns, like 
the Hebrew, over his lost Jerusalem. It cannot be con- 
cealed that to these earlier Christians, the successors and 
inheritors, and, let us add, the improvers of the Pagan 
Romans, Great Britain is indebted for every one of the 
ancient architectural glories of her Established Church. 
And although no praise can be too strong to do honor to 
the generosity and diligence with which what is left of the 
Roman Catholic temple is repaired and restored, still the 
candid observer will readily forgive the bitter sincerity of 
the remark attributed to Cardinal Manning when he was 
told how admirably the old Catholic churches were being 
restored by the authorities of the Established Church: 
"Yes, I hear they are being restored, but I have yet to 
hear that they are being returned to their real owners." 
You read history in these stony monuments, and, however 
republican you may be, you cannot fail to feel that to the 
aristocracy, clerical and political, of the ages gone by, 
modern civilization is indebted for the many exquisite 
originals which adorn its towns and cities. It took thirty- 
eight years to complete the Cathedral of Salisbury, at the 
comparatively moderate expense of forty thousand marks, 
or about one hundred and thirty thousand dollars, when 
the effigies of money were four or five times more valuable 
than they are to-day. It was solemnly dedicated in the thir- 
teenth century by the Archbishopof Canterbury, in the pres- 
ence of the King and Queen, and it was passed over under 
the iron rule of King Henry VIII. early in the sixteenth 
century ; so that the fact remains that whatever of beauty 
belongs to it is certainly not to be credited to the present 

28 



326 OLD AND NEW SARUM. 

religious institution. An American gentleman, when he 
first saw the severe grandeur, so to speak, and the impress- 
ive symmetry of the Cathedral, broke out with the expres- 
sion : " It is the eloquence of art in stone ; it is an oration 
by Daniel Webster on Christianity; it is human genius in 
a Gothic flower." 

The singular uniformity of its design and style, the har- 
mony of its several parts, the lightness and elegance, invest 
it with a peculiar charm ; while the graceful elevation of its 
tower seems to make it worthy of the praise of the English- 
man that it is the loftiest and loveliest spire in the King- 
dom. It is admitted to be the only cathedral church erected 
before the Reformation without any intermixture of styles, 
and is the first instance of pure unmixed Gothic in Eng- 
land. It is built in the form of a double or archiepiscopal 
cross, extending in its extreme dimensions, from west to 
east, four hundred and seventy-three feet, and from north 
to south two hundred and twenty-nine feet seven inches; 
while from the intersection of the grand cross springs 

The lessening shaft of that aerial spire 

to the astonishing height of four hundred feet from the 
ground. I will not carry you through the whole structure 
— its transepts, its aisles, its north porch, its west front, its 
tier of angels, its tier of Old Testament patriarchs and 
prophets, the nave, the organ, the choir, the chantry chapel, 
the altar-piece, the lady chapel, the library, the muniment- 
room, the chapter-house, nor the cloisters. A few words 
in regard to the expense of the restoration of this mag- 
nificent cathedral, which was begun in 1863, and which 
will cost, before it is entirely finished, forty thousand 
pounds, or two hundred thousand dollars. The assiduity, 
the enthusiasm, the genius of the ecclesiastical and literary 
people interested in its restoration are in themselves a lib- 
eral education, while the proud respect of the surrounding 



OLD AND NEW SARUM. 



3 2 7 



population of Wiltshire, who look upon their cathedral 
with as much — aye, and even far more — reverence as that 
with which Philadelphians regard Independence Hall, are 
so many proofs of the effect of religious architecture upon 
every condition of life. Indeed, the Salisbury Cathedral 
may be said to refine the whole district ; and while there 
is much in the opposition of the Dissenters to the ac- 
knowledged expenditures and extravagance, and, perhaps, 
the favoritism of the Established Church, yet I think it 
may be fairly said that even the Dissenters of Salisbury 
and Wiltshire never see the Cathedral without a throb of 
pleasure or of pride. 

In happy illustration of these thoughts it is now proper 
that I should refer to the gentleman to whom our party, all 
of them Americans, were indebted for this specially agree- 
able visit, not the less agreeable because the weather has 
been a fair specimen of an English October — alternate rain 
and sun, none of the excessive heats we sometimes find at 
home at this season, and serving by its curious changes of 
climate to relieve and set off the singular beauties of an 
English landscape. I refer to Mr. William Blackmore, of 
Salisbury, well known in the United States, especially in 
our Western Territories, where he is the owner of large 
tracts of land, and particularly for his intelligent and per- 
severing researches into the early history of the family of 
William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. It is easy to 
see that Mr. Blackmore, the descendant of an old Wiltshire 
family, has caught the inspiration of the place. He and 
his fathers have not lived in the vicinity of Old Sarum and 
Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral without imbibing much 
of their peculiar fascinations. Prosperous in themselves, 
largely identified with the progress of the region, closely 
connected with many of the earlier and later political 
struggles and generally on the Liberal side, the large wealth 
of Mr. Blackmore is distributed in characteristic harmony 



328 



OLD AND NEW SARUM. 



with his teachings. He has travelled far and wide, and 
seems to have fixed his affections, after his own country, in 
Western America. But even as he extends his literary re- 
searches into America he has built for himself a monument 
in the Blackmore Museum at Salisbury, a repository not 
alone of valuable relics of the traditions and histories 
of his own native surroundings, but of everything relating 
to the past ages, as these are gathered in England and in 
far distant countries. The "Literature of the Blackmore 
Museum," printed under his own direction, and the Guide 
to that Museum, edited with very great ability by the cu- 
rator, Mr. Edward T. Stevens, are in themselves invaluable 
contributions to every archaeological collection. 

You pass through this Museum surprised at the variety 
and multiplicity of the specimens — an archaeological col- 
lege in stone, bronze, flint, and metallurgy, gathered from 
every country and every aboriginal tribe — and not less at 
the intelligent elegance with which they are severally 
organized and described. It is an example after which 
many other museums might usefully copy. The museum 
is opened three times a week gratuitously to the public ; 
the organization was collected and the whole management 
is paid by himself, and he is every hour adding to the un- 
equalled depository. I could not help admiring the unsel- 
fish enterprise of an English gentleman who could so 
usefully employ his large fortune at his own home, and at 
the same time devote himself to a diligent study of the 
institutions of the United States. My friend Mr. C. D. 
Poston, well known in Philadelphia, several years ago a 
delegate in Congress from Arizona, and now resident in 
London, describes the Blackmore Museum as follows: 

" The Blackmore Museum, at Salisbury, was founded by Mr. William 
Blackmore, a native of that city, in the year 1864, and dedicated to the 
public, for the purpose of affording them an opportunity of studying the 
habits, customs, and manners of past ages of mankind, as evidenced by 



OLD AND NEW SAKUM. 



3 2 9 



the relics, implements, and utensils they have left behind them, and thus 
be able to compare their condition with the generations of men who have 
preceded them, so that they can form a correct judgment as to the ascend- 
ing or descending scale of civilization. The illustrations of the Stone Age 
are probably more complete in the Blackmore Museum than at any other 
place in the world, and some idea of their extent may be gathered from the 
fact that a description of them by Mr. Stevens, one of the trustees of the 
museum, fills a volume of six hundred pages, called ' Flint Chips.' It 
must have been a rude age in the history of man when all the cutting, saw- 
ing, grinding, drilling, and dressing was done with stone implements ; but 
here in this museum are evidences of the fact, arranged and classified in 
such a way as to present a stone chronology showing the improvements of 
man in this primitive struggle with nature and reaching up to the age of 
bronze. The advantage of this chronological stone history is its inde- 
structibility, and its reading shows the gradual improvement of man from 
a mere animal struggling with nature for subsistence, and with his fellows 
for mastery, until our own age guides the steamship, speeds the railway, 
and writes with the lightning. In the museum alluded to the gradual 
advancement is read by direct steps upward and onward from the flint 
chips of the primitive man to the highly-polished steel instruments of 
surgery made insuch perfection at the present day. The benefits accruing 
to the youth of our country towns from local museums and reading-rooms 
is incalculable, and will germinate thoughts which might not fructify in the 
confusion of great cities. Every county town in England might have a 
museum of local curiosities and objects of foreign interest, as every county 
possesses the nucleus of such an institution, and the representatives of every 
county in England in foreign lands would gladly contribute the benefit of 
his researches to a museum at home if such existed. It only needs in each 
county some enterprising and liberal mind to organize the machinery for 
gathering the scattered history of the struggle which mankind have made 
to leave some evidences of their existence. Even in this remarkable old 
town of Salisbury the progress of man may be traced with historical 
accuracy for a period of two thousand years. There are the ruins of Old 
Sarum, which was a fortified city before the Roman invasion, connecting 
that southern stronghold with other Roman fortresses, with the Roman 
road, and the race-course of Vespasian. And there is the Salisbury of 
to-day, with the railway passing through it, connecting London with the 

After enjoying the graceful and generous hospitalities of 
our English host and his intelligent family, including a 
special and delightful entertainment at the old White Hart 
Inn, in Salisbury (which I beg to commend to all Amer- 

28* 



33° 



ACCESSION OF ITALY TO THE CENTENNIAL. 



icans who may be attracted to this beautiful spot), we left 
Mr. Blackmore and his relations with many grateful thanks, 
but not before I have exacted from him the promise that 
during the Centennial year he will read us a paper, which 
I know he is carefully preparing, upon the antecedents of 
William Penn. 

London, October, 1875. 



LXXVI. 

Accession of Italy to the Centennial. — The Bartholdi Monument. 

Italy is gracefully coming to the front. A late number 
of the influential journal, II Fanfulla, of Rome, publishes 
the following in regard to the Philadelphia Exhibition : 

The Minister of Agriculture and Commerce on his journey through 
Florence met there Signor Padovani, the president of the Executive Com- 
mittee for the Philadelphia Exhibition, and the result of their interview has 
been the definite settlement of a general agency which is to represent the 
Government of Italy at the Centennial .Exhibition. 

" In order not to increase the budget of Italian expenses the Italian 
Cabinet has decided to select the Commissioners to represent it on that 
august occasion from among the Italians residing in the United States." 

Signor Guiseppe d'Assi, president of the Voluntary 
Committee of Artists at Milan, has issued an eloquent ad- 
dress to the people of Italy, from which I have had the 
following translated : 

The united work of all, ordered by special committees, will surely lead 
to favorable results and aid the Government in giving practical help to the 
Exhibition. There is no nobler aim than the fraternal union of nations in 
peace and industry. Let us all unite to attain that object. On account 



THE BARTHOLDI MONUMENT. 



33 1 



of past mournful times Italy will not be able to compete in industrial pro- 
ducts with those nations which have preceded her in the possession of 
liberty, but Italy can and must be represented at the Centennial Exhibi- 
tion. The people of the United States, already so far advanced in the waj 
of progress, say of their Centenary, " We will teach something and learn 
much," and Italy will move under the auspices of her newly-acquired 
liberty in a firm desire to acquire, with instruction and industry, that dej 
of advancement to which she is entitled. 

The more embarrassing our financial situation the harder must we work 
to better our condition by extending our commerce and increasing our 
exports. A favorable opportunity presents itself in the International Ex- 
hibition at Philadelphia. Can Italy afford to absent herself upon an 
occasion which will be so favorable to her interests ? Italy is not the land 
of the dead. The Chamber of Commerce, agrarian committees, associa- 
tions to promote art, science, or agriculture, and especially the industrial 
societies, should raise subscriptions and follow the noble example of Baron 
Eugene Cantoni, who has subscribed five thousand Italian pounds. Various 
products of our land are sought after, particularly by North America, 
where they arrive second and even third hand on account of lack of direct 
commercial intercourse, leaving the principal profits to foreign interme- 
diaries. In arts it is certainly no presumption to affirm that we can hold 
the field. with honor, and equal, if not surpass, other nations. The nation 
which boasts a Washington, a Franklin, a Jefferson, a^ Lincoln, and a Tea- 
body, together with many other great men, should be studied closely. If 
an energetic initiative be taken by individual effort, neither Parliament nor 
Government can remain indifferent to the cause. Every nation will be rep- 
resented, for each Government has voted munificently the required funds. 
Let then all men whose hearts beat for Italy's welfare do all in their power 
to have her represented in that great assembly of nations to be convocated 
for' the emulation of human ingenuity and for instruction, and through 
these to promote peace and liberty. 

As another proof of the persevering energies of our friends 
in France, I subjoin the address of the Franco-American 
Union Committee appointed to take in charge the prepara- 
tions for the commemorative bronze monument on Bed- 
loe's Island, in the harbor of New York, designed and in 
the course of execution by Major Auguste Bartholdi, the 
foundation-stone of which it is supposed will be laid during 
the Centennial ceremonies : 



33 2 



THE BARTHOLDI MONUMENT. 



Union Franco-America ink. 



Subscription for the Building of a Commemorative Monument of the Cen- 
tennial Anniversary of United States Independence, Erected in Remem- 
brance of the Ancient Friendship of France and America by the Friends 
of both Nations. 

" America will very soon celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of her 
Independence. This date marks an epoch in human history; to the New 
World it records its sublime work, the foundation of the grand Republic ; 
to France, one of the most honorable pages of her history. 

" We believe, as well as our friends of the United States, that it affords 
a solemn occasion to unite France and America in a common manifesta- 
tion. Notwithstanding the long past time, the United States like to recall 
to mind an ancient fraternity in arms ; the name of France is always hon- 
ored by them. The great event, which will be performed 4th of July, 
1876, permits us to celebrate with our American friends the old and sincere 
friendship which so long united both nations. 

" The New World is preparing to give to this great festival an extraor- 
dinary splendor; some friends of the United States thought that the spirit 
of France should show itself in a cordial and striking manner. A French 
artist rendered that idea in a project worthy of its purpose and which has 
secured all approbations ; in going to America he came to an understand- 
ing with our friends and prepared all the means of execution. 

"The question is to elevate in commemoration of the glorious anniver- 
sary an exceptional monument. In the middle of New York harbor, on a 
little island belonging to the Union, facing Long Island, where the first 
blood was shed for independence, will be raised a colossal statue, showing 
its grand figure in the space, horizoned by the large cities of New York, 
Jersey City, and Brooklyn. At the entrance of that vast continent, full 
of new life, where ships meet from all parts of the world, it will look as 
springing up from the bosom of the deep, representing Liberty enlighten- 
ing the World. At night a luminous aureola projected from the head will 
radiate on the far-flowing waves of the ocean. 

" The monument will be erected by both nations, associated in this fra- 
ternal achievement as they were formerly to carry out the independence. 
We shall amicably offer our American friends the statue, and they on their 
side will meet the expenses of the pedestal. 

"Thus shall we consolidate by an eternal remembrance the friendship 
sealed by the blood of both people's forefathers. 

" Let us unite to celebrate this fete of modern people: We must give 
to this manifestation the fervor which it requires in order to equal the ever- 
memorable past events. Let each one bring his obole ; however trifling 
each person's offering may be, it will be received with thanks. Let the 
number of subscribers show the sentiments of France. 



MR. P. CUNLIFFE OWEN'S SUGGESTION. 



333 



" We shall organize our lists in volumes, which will be offered to our 
American friends. 

" The members of the committee, grateful for the friendship with which 
they have been honored in America, assume the direction of the move- 
ment ; the example will be nobly followed on the other side of the ocean. 
We hope to meet with sympathetic adhesions everywhere. 

"LE COMITE DE L'UNION FRANCO-AMERICAINE. 

" Membres d'Honneur — Washburne, ministre plenipotentiaire desEtats- 
Unis a Paris; M. de Noailles, ambassadeur de France a. Rome; M. de 
Rochambeau ; Am. Bartholdi, ministre plenipotentiaire de France a Wash- 
ington ; J. W. Forney, commissaire general des Etats-Unis en Europe. 

" Ed. Laboulaye, president du Comite Directeur ; Henry Martin et 
Dietz-Monin, vice-presidents. 

" Comite — Oscar de Lafayette, Jules de Lasteyrie, Paul de Remusat, C. 
de Tocqueville, Waddington, Cornells de With, Jean Mace, C. Serurier, 
Wolowski, L. Simonin, V. Borie, Aug. Bartholdi. 

" Caubert, commissaire delegue. 

" De Lagorsse, secretaire-tresorier. 

" Les Bureaux du Comite sont, 175, rue Saint-Honore, a Paris." 

London, October, 1875. 



LXXVII. 



Mr. P. Cunliffe Owen's Centennial Suggestion for 1976. — A Curious Old 
Volume. 

A practical idea connected with the International Ex- 
hibition, originating with Mr. P. Cunliffe Owen, deserves 
record, so that it may not be forgotten when we come to 
the disposition of the great edifices at the close of the Cen- 
tennial. It is a suggestion that the permanent buildings, 
if any are to be preserved in addition to the beautiful 
temple dedicated exclusively to Art, should be so managed 
that when our posterity comes to do honor to the close of 
the second century of American civilization they will find in 



334 



A CURIOUS OLD VOLUME. 



them trophies of the hundred years which will terminate 
July 4, 1976. In each succeeding year let us plac e in the s e — 
permanent structures the peculiar American discovery or 
improvement of that year in every imaginative and sub- 
stantial production. To this end there should be no haste 
in making the collection, and the committee to whom this 
delicate task is to be entrusted should be appointed after 
careful consideration. It seemed to me, when I first heard 
this proposition, as one altogether admirable and deserving 
serious attention. The great museums of the Old World 
are depositaries of the long gone ages, invaluable in them- 
selves and wholly characteristic of the growth of time; but 
under Mr. Owen's plan we may be said to begin history 
with the coming Centennial, and to start with our centuries, 
making of each a separate feature of the immediate past and 
an eloquent promise of the mysterious future. 

In pursuing these reflections I am again reminded of the 
value of our International Exhibition as the practical.-xe=__ 
storer of history. It will quicken research in all directions. 
He who desires to write of the days gone by will find the 
material accumulating and ready to his hand in the vast 
amount of matter rescued from the obscurest quarters and 
revealed to the light of day for the first time. No spot will 
be more compensating than the National Museum in Inde- 
pendence Hall, and I am happy in being the medium of 
placing in it another record of the olden time. Two days 
ago I received a note from General Schenck enclosing to 
me a small volume, unbound, but valuable, entitled " Eng- 
lish Empire in America : or, A Prospect of their Majes- 
ties' Dominion in the West Indies, namely, Newfoundland, 
New England, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Mary- 
land, Virginia, Carolina, Bermudas, Berbuda, Anguilla, 
Montserrat, Dominica, St. Vincent, Antego, Mevis or 
Nevis, Saint Christopher's, Barbadoes, Jamaica. With an 
account of the Discovery, Situation, Product, and other 



A CURIOUS OLD VOLUME. 335 

Excellencies and Rarities of these Countries. To which is 
prefixed a Relation of the first Discovery of the New World, 
called America, by the Spaniards. And of the Remarkable 
Voyages of several Englishmen to divers places therein. 
Illustrated with maps and pictures. London : Printed for 
Nath. Crouch at the Bell in the Poultry, near Cheapside. 
1698." 

This date is one hundred and seventy-seven years back, 
when our country was included in the general West Indies! 
In looking over the map or frontispiece, I find that New 
England, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Carolina take up 
more than two-thirds, while outside are Rhode Island, 
"Cape Himlopen," " Roanoak Inlet," and Florida. The 
book itself is complete, comprising one hundred and eighty- 
eight closely-printed i6mo pages, and, although the print 
ing is ancient, the style is good and exceedingly interest- 
ing. It opens with the following short poem : 

" As if our Old World modestly withdrew, 
And here in private had brought forth a new, 
Here Nature spreads her fruitful sweetness round, 
Breathes on the air, and broods upon the ground, 
x Here Days and Nights the only seasons be, 

The Sun no climate does so gladly see. 
When forc'd from hence to view our parts, he mourns ; 
Takes little journeys, and makes quick returns ; 
Nay, in this bounteous, and this blessed land, 
The golden ore lies mixed with common sand; 
Each downfall of a flood the mountains pour 
From the rich bowels rolls a silver shower, 
All lay concealed for many ages past, 
And the best portion of the Earth was last !" 

The opening chapters contain an excellent account of 
the various voyages, English and otherwise, from Columbus 
and Cortez to Sir Francis Drake, after which there is "A 
Prospect of Newfoundland," chapter iii. ; "A Prospect of 
New England," chapter iv. ; " A Prospect of New York,"" 
chapter v.; "A Prospect of New Jersey," chapter vi. ; 



336 A CURIOUS OLD VOLUME. 

"A Prospect of Pennsylvania," chapter vii. ; "A Pros- 
pect of Maryland," chapter viii. ; "A Prospect of Vir- 
ginia," chapter ix. ; "A Prospect of Carolina," chapter 
x., succeeded by chapters devoted respectively to "Ber- 
mudas ; or, The Summer of Islands," and to the " Caribee 
Islands of Berbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, Dominica, St. 
Vincent, Antego, Mevis or Nevis, St. Christopher's, and 
Barbadoes," and then Jamaica, closing with " A Catalogue 
of Books Printed for Nath. Crouch, at the Bell in the Poul- 
try, near Cheapside," the list including volumes that per- 
haps may be still in existence, well deserving the researches 
of the antiquary. A few of the titles may be quoted : 

" England's Monarchs; or, A Relation of the most remarkable transac- 
tions, from Julius Caesar; adorned with poems, and the picture of every 
monarch from K. Will the Conqueror to this time, with a list of the nobil- 
ity, etc." Price, one shilling. 

" The History of the two late Kings, Charles II. and James II., and of 
the most observable passages during their reigns." Price, one shilling. 

" The History of Oliver Cromwell, L. Protector. Relating matters of 
fact without reflection or observation." Price, one shilling. 

" Historical Remarks and Observations of the Ancient and Present State 
of London and Westminster, showing the Foundations, Walls, Gates, 
Bridges, Churches, Rivers, Wards, etc., with the most remarkable acci- 
dents as to Wars, Fires, Plagues, etc., for above nine hundred years past." 
Price, one shilling. 

" Admirable Curiosities, Rarities, and Wonders in England, Scotland, 
and Ireland; or, An account of many remarkable persons and places, and 
of the battles, sieges, earthquakes, tempests, inundations, fires, thunders, 
murders, and other occurrences for many hundred years past." Price, one 
shilling. 

" The Unfortunate Court Favorites of England, Men and Women." 
Price, one shilling. 

" The English Empire in America" — [the book now before me]. Price, 
one shilling. 

" The English Hero ; or, Sir Francis Drake Revived." Being a full 
account of his dangerous voyages, etc. As, i. His voyage in 1572 to 
Nombre de Dios in the West Indies, where they saw a pile of bars of silver 
near seventy feet long, ten feet broad, and twelve feet high. 2. His in- 
co'mpassing the whole world in 1577. which he performed in two years 
and ten months, gaining a vast quantity of gold and silver, etc." Price, 
one shilling. 



A CURIOUS OLD VOLUME. 



137 



"Two Journeys to Jerusalem, being descriptions of the Holy Land, 
Captivities of the Jews, the State of the Jews, the seventy Jewish Inter- 
preters of the Laws of Moses; the final Extirpation of the Jews in Persia, 
with other material." Price, one shilling. 

" The History of the Nine Worthies of the World, three whereof were 
Gentiles, three Jews, and three Christians, with accounts of their lives." 
Price, one shilling. 

" Female Excellency ; or, The Ladies' Glory. Illustrated in the lives of 
nine famous women : Deborah, the prophetess ; the valiant Judith; Queen 
Esther; the virtuous Susanna ; the chaste Lucretia; Boadicea, Queen of 
Britain in the reign of Nero, with an account of the original inhabitants 
of Great Britain; the History of Danaus and his fifty daughters, who 
murdered their husbands in one night, etc." Price, one shilling. 

" Wonderful Progress of Judgment and Mercy, discovered in above 
three hundred memorable histories, etc." Price, one shilling. 

This summary will give the general reader a foretaste of 
the book and the class of ancient English literature to 
which it belongs, and perhaps induce more investigations. 
The British Museum no' doubt contains copies of some, if 
not most of the old books referred to. In this volume 
nearly the entire description of Pennsylvania is the letter 
of William Penn, which I have already referred to, and is 
found in Samuel M. Janney's Life of William Penn, run- 
ning from page 227 to page 238. I have compared the 
letter in the old and in the new, and they are exactly alike, 
the sketch of Philadelphia being the same in both. 

London, October, 1875. 



29 



338 RUSSIA AND ITALY COME IN. 



LXXVIII. 



Russia and Italy come in. 



Our International Exhibition would have been, if not 
exactly like "Hamlet" without the Prince, at least like a 
play with an imperfect cast of characters, if Russia and 
Italy had stood aloof; and now that both have come in 
with unusual emphasis, the work, so far as foreign Powers 
are concerned, may be said to be complete. The Italians 
are moving not only through the Government bureaux, but 
among the guilds of art and manufacture in their various 
cities, and this action, handsomely supplemented by the 
co-operation of the American painters and sculptors in 
Rome, Florence, Genoa, and Naples, will make the Italian 
department unusually magnificent. 

From what I can hear, the Russian section will be un- 
commonly interesting, and the acceptance of the Czar, 
while in complete harmony with our former peaceful rela- 
tions with his great Empire, is also a complete oblivion 
to recent differences. Mr. Boker, American minister at 
St*. Petersburg, has contributed rare good sense and tort 
towards securing this fortunate decision. There has long 
been a peculiar relation between Russia and the United 
States, and particularly between Russia and Pennsylvania. 
The venerable William D. Lewis, still, I trust, alive and 
surrounded by his friends in Philadelphia, occupied an 
official position in St. Petersburg very nearly sixty years 
ago, while our ministers at the Court of the Czar have in- 
cluded such Pennsylva-nians as William Wilkins of Pitts- 
burgh, James Buchanan of Lancaster, George M. Dallas 
of Philadelphia, Simon Cameron of Dauphin, Andrew G. 



RUSSIA AND ITALY COME IN. 



339 



Curtin of Centre, Wayne MacVeagh of Chester, and now 
George H. Boker, again of Philadelphia. 

The Russian Messager Officiel has announced the names 
of the members of the Commission which has just been 
formed by the Minister of Finance to take steps for the par- 
ticipation of Russia in the International Exposition at 
Philadelphia in 1876. The President of the Commission 
is Privy Counsellor Boutovsky, Director of the Depart- 
ment of Commerce and Manufactures, and the members 
are Privy Counsellor Cobeko, Acting Chancellor of the 
Minister of Finance ; Counsellor of State Yermakon, Vice- 
Director of the Department of Commerce and Manufac- 
tures; Counsellor of State Vychnegradsky, Director of the 
Technological Institute ; Counsellor of State Bielsky, re- 
tained for special missions by the Department of Com- 
merce and Manufactures; Counsellor of State Podobedow, 
chief of section in the same department ; Counsellor of 
State Iliine, professor in the Technological Institute ; Coun- 
sellor of State Behr," retained for special missions by the 
Minister of Finance; and College Counsellor Timiriazew, 
chief of section in the Department of Commerce and Manu- 
factures, i 1 1 

The administration of the affairs of the Commission is 
intrusted to M. Bielsky, who is named at the same time as 
general commissioner of the Russian section in the Phila- 
delphia International Exposition. 

The Commission makes an appeal to the industrial asso- 
ciations and institutions who desire to take part in the 
Philadelphia Exposition, and begs them to address the 
Commission, in the Department of Commerce and Manu- 
factures, for information or assignments of right to exhibit. 
The further steps taken by the Commission will be made 
known through the public journals. 

London, October, 1875. 



34° 



THE SIX HUNDRED OF BALAKLAVA. 



L X X I X. 

The Six Hundred of Balaklava. — Tennyson's " Charge of the Light 
Brigade," and Drayton's " Agincourt." 

England is sleepless in keeping alive the popular loyalty 
to our Centennial. Not a day passes without some new 
effort to attract the people to her museums and galleries — 
to her Crystal and Alexandra Palaces — her South Kensington 
Collection — her Parks and Parades. Just now, for in- 
stane, there are to be two banquets, one at Alexandra 
Palace, to the surviving men, the other at Willis' Rooms, 
to the surviving officers, who made the historic charge in 
the Light Brigade, October 25, 1854. At the Palace one 
shilling only will be the charge, and the anniversary will be 
greeted as follows : 

" Mr. Woodham, who has been the life and soul of the 
whole movement, has taken care to send absent comrades 
the wherewithal to enable them to join in the feast in spirit 
and 'drink a cup of wine,' as the Laureate worded it, to 
Balaklava and the brave who lie on the Black Sea shore. 
Fabulous sums have been offered for seats at the dinner, 
but the committee has been compelled to exercise the 
most rigorous exclusiveness. In addition to the remnant 
of the Light Brigade — officers and men — the foreign repre- 
sentatives, a very limited number of guests (none of whom 
could be passed over), the directors of Alexandra Palace, 
in their capacity as hosts, and the irrepressible reporters, 
nobody will be admitted to the board. The dinner will 
be served in the large saloon where the banquet was given 
on the occasion of the opening of the Palace last May. 
The upper table has been reserved for the officers and 



THE SIX HUNDRED OF BALAKLAVA. 



341 



guests, a space has been set apart from which the female 
relatives of those invited can hear the speeches, and ac- 
commodation has been provided for the band of the Royal 
Irish Hussars and a choir of thirty voices, who are to sup- 
ply the musical and vocal accompaniments of the feast. 
There will be anterooms and smoking-rooms for officers 
and men — in short, nothing that could add to the cosiness 
of the company has been neglected. The immense room 
has been luxuriously carpeted and decorated, and looks 
like an old baronial hall from the multiplicity of effigies 
in coats of mail reared on pedestals around. There are 
trophies of flags and arms, and shields with the regimental 
badges on the walls, and the names of the battles in which 
the Light Brigade has been engaged and of the fifteen 
gallant officers who met their death at Balaklava, with 
mottoes in French, Italian, Turkish, and Russian, are in- 
scribed on conspicuous scrolls. Behind the chair a marble 
group of St. George slaying the Dragon has been placed, 
and at either side are the legends 'Agincourt, Oct. 25, 
1415/ and 'Balaklava, Oct. 25, 1854.' The card on 
which the bill of fare is printed is a veritable work of art. 
Across the top there is a representation of the advance of 
the Light Brigade in the valley, and on one flank at the 
bottom are figures of a Lancer of the 17th and a Hussar of 
the nth, and on the other a Russian gun with a dead 
artilleryman beside it. Messrs. Bertram and Roberts have 
some ingenious surprises as artistic in their way as the carte 
in preparation, and each man is to be presented by Messrs. 
Burt, the printers to the Palace, with an elegantly-bound 
little volume of poetry in memory of the celebration. Nut 
the least remarkable peculiarity connected with the en- 
thusiasm excited by the revival is the amount of gushing 
poetry which has been written. The committee has been 
inundated with contributions in verse, good, bad, and in- 
different, most of them the latter. Among the best of the 

29* 



342 



THE SIX HUNDRED OF BALAKLAVA. 



poems sent are those by Mrs. R. Chandler, Mr. E. H. 
Pember, Trumpet-Major William Smith (one of the sur- 
vivors), and Major Compton Noake. 

" The toast list has been drawn up with much care and 
discrimination. Supplementary to the loyal toasts, which 
have this out of the common, that her Majesty is to be 
mentioned as Empress of Hindostan, and that his Royal 
Highness the Prince of Wales is to be associated with the 
colonelcy of the ioth Hussars, but few sentiments are to be 
given. The chair will be taken by the senior officer pres- 
ent, on whom will devolve the duty of proposing ' The 
British Flag,' 'The Memory of the Dead,' 'Our Gallant 
Allies,' and, the last toast of all, 'The Soldiers of the 
Pen,' which is to be responded to by Mr. N. A. Woods, 
the special correspondent of the Standard during the 
Crimean War. Grace is to be said by a military chaplain 
and sung by the choir; and when the Queen's health is 
proposed a Royal salute will be fired. The trumpeters of 
the 8th Hussars are to sound, in succession, the ' walk,' 
'trot,' 'gallop,' and 'charge' before the speech of the 
evening, which is to be made by Sir Edward Lee, in giving 
'The Survivors of the Six Hundred.' Representatives of 
the I Troop R. H. A. and of the five cavalry corps present 
are to be called on to respond. Mrs. Stirling will recite 
'The Charge of the Light Brigade;' and the only other 
ladies whose voices will be heard at the banquet are Miss 
Emily Mott and Miss Ellen Home, the latter of whom 
will sing 'La Cantiniere.' Miss Mott will be heard in 
Ciro Pinsuti's composition, 'England's Dead,' in which 
the following appropriate verse has been interpolated : 

' Where Russia's cannon pealed 
They lie, their bold ride o'er; 
On Balaklava's glorious field 

They sleep for evermore. 
'Neath India's jungles thick they lie, 
Where the palm-tree rears its head ; 



" CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE." 

There's not a glimmering light on high 
But shines on England's dead.' 



343 



"Mr. Wilford Morgan will sing ' Come if you dare;' and 
among the appropriate pieces of music to be performed 
are the ' Dead March' in Saul, and the new French 
national air 'La Marche de Roland a Roncevaux,' from 
Mermet's opera, arranged for a military band by M. Coard, 
chef de musique of the 31st Regiment of the French line." 

And yet, while Great Britain keeps alive the patriotic 
fires by these honors to her brave soldiers, a strange guest 
comes from the grave to dispute the laurels of her great 
poet Tennyson, author of the popular lyric, "The Charge 
of the Light Brigade." In Notes and Queries for October 
23, 1875, edited by Dr. John Doran, an article appeared 
entitled "Agincourt," avowedly from his pen, which 
will undoubtedly excite much discussion, and sensibly 
diminish the fame of the Poet-Laureate, whose noble 
" Charge" is to be recited at the Alexandra Palace. It 
reads thus : 

"On St. Crispin's day, October 25, 1415, Henry V. of 
England, when in sore distress and difficulty, with less than 
ten thousand men, defeated six times that number of brave, 
stout Frenchmen, ill led. The English were suffering from 
want of food and from disease ; but those poor, brave men 
were not only of yeoman mettle but they were well led. 
They gained the victory at a cost of fewer hundreds than 
it cost the French in thousands to lose it. On one side, 
ten thousand killed and fourteen thousand prisoners ! On 
the other, the highest estimate is one thousand six hun- 
dred killed and wounded ! It sounds like reports of fights 
in the times of fabulous romance; but it is no fable that 
Agincourt was 'a glorious victory.' 

"Nearly a century and a half after the victory for which 
thanks, alike humble and hearty, were thus offered, a poet 



344 



DRA YTOAT S "A GINCO UR T.' 



was born who took Agincourt for his theme — namely, 
Michael Drayton, a Warwickshire bard, born in 1563, a 
year before Shakspeare. In 1627 (eleven years after Shak- 
speare's death), the author of The Polvolbion published the 
ballad of Agincourt. Many persons have read this stirring 
poem, but not many possess it; we therefore take advantage 
of this anniversary season to print it here, especially as the 
poem has been alluded to in former columns of Notes and 
Queries, but no full reprint furnished of a martial song, 
the echoes of which, as before remarked in our columns, seem 
to have fallen on the well-attuned ear of the author of ' The 
Charge of the Light Brigade:' 

" Fair stood the wind for France, 
When we our sails advance ; 
Nor now to prove our chance, 

Longer will tarry ; 
But, putting to the main, 
AtKaux, the mouth of Seine, 
With all his martial train, 

Landed King Harry. 

" And taking many a fort, 
Furnished in warlike sort, 
Marcheth towards Agincourt, 

In happy hour, — 
Skirmishing day by day, 
With those that stopped his way, 
Where the French general lay 
With all his power, 

" Who, in the height of pride, 
King Henry to deride, 
His ransom to provide, 

To the King sending; 
Which he neglects the while, 
As from a nation vile ; 
Yet, with an angry smile, 

Their fall portending. 

" And turning to his men, 
Quoth our brave Henry then, 



DRAYTON'S "AGINCOUJtT." 345 

■ Though they to one be ten, 

Be not amazed. 
Yet have we well begun, — 
Battles so bravely won 
Have ever to the sun 

By fame been raised. 

" ' And for myself,' quoth he, 
' This my full rest shall be : 
England ne'er mourn for me, 

Nor more esteem me. 
Victor I will remain, 
Or on this earth lie slain : 
Never shall she sustain 
Loss to redeem me. 

" ' Poitiers and Cressy tell, 

"Where most their pride did swell ; 
Under our swords they fell. 

No less our skill is 
Than when our grandsire great, 
Claiming the regal seat, 
By many a warlike feat 
Lopped the French lilies.' 

" The Duke of York so dread, 
The eager vaward led ; 
With the main Henry sped, 

Amongst his henchmen. 
Excester had the rear, — 
A braver man not there: 
I [ow fierce and hot they were 
On the false Frenchmen ! 

" They now to fight are gone ; 
Armour on armour shone ; 
Drum now to drum did groan — 

To hear was wonder ; 

That with the cries they make, 

The very earth did shake; 

Trumpet to trumpet spake, 

Thunder to thunder. 

" Well it thine age became, 
O noble Erpingham ! 



346 DRAYTON'S « AG INC OUR T." 

Who didst the signal aim 

To our hid forces ; 
When, from a meadow by, 
Like a storm suddenly, 
The English archery 

Struck the French horses, 

" With Spanish yew so strong, 
Arrows a cloth-yard long, 
That like to serpent stung, 

Piercing the weather. 
None from his fellow starts, 
But playing manly parts, 
And like true English hearts, 

Stuck close together. 

" When down their bows they threw, 
And forth their bilboes drew, 
And on the French they flew, 

Not one was tardy ; 
Arms were from shoulders sent, 
Scalps to the teeth were rent ; 
Down the French peasants went ; 
Our men were hardy. 

"This while our noble King, 
His broadsword brandishing, 
Down the French host did ding, 

As to o'erwhelm it ; 
And many a deep wound lent, 
His arms with blood besprent, 
And many a cruel dent 
Bruised his helmet. 

" Gloucester, that Duke so good, 
Next of the royal blood, 
For famous England stood 

With his brave brother ; 
Clarence, in steel so bright, 
Though but a maiden knight 
Yet in that famous fight 

Scarce such another. 

" Warwick in blood did wade, 
Oxford the foe invade, 



HIGH TONE OF THE BRITISH PRESS. 347 

And cruel slaughter m ide, 

Still as they ran up ; 
Suffolk his axe did ply ; 
Beaumont and Willoughby 
Bare them right doughtily ; 

Ferrers and Fanhope. 

" Upon St. Crispin's day 
Fought was this noble fray ; 
Which fame did not delay 

To England to carry ; 
Oh ! when shall Englishmen 
With such acts fill a pen, 
Or England breed again 

Such a King Harry?" 

There is something of the ring of the Poet-Laureate's 
well-known poem in this noble lyric by Drayton, written 
more than two centuries ago. 

London, October 25, 1875. 



LXXX. 

High Tone of the British Press. — Earl of Darnley's Strange Proceeding. 

There is a manly independence in the British press which 
compels admiration and deserves imitation. Intensely de- 
voted to English institutions, the men who control it are at 
once cultivated and bold. Restrained by no censorship, 
as in France and Germany, beyond the penalties inflicted 
by laws against defamation, they do not hesitate to take 
even royalty by the throat when it transcends justice, and 
an injury inflicted on the humblest citizen is at once re- 
sented and avenged. It is true, they are adepts in the art 
of hiding that which with us is made public. They never 



348 



EARL OF DARNLEY' S STRANGE PROCEEDING. 



attack each other in their newspapers. They rarely boast 
of their enterprise or expenditures. They never indulge 
in personal articles on politicians or statesmen. But they 
reach the remedy by a broader and a more knightly proce- 
dure. They force reform by argument couched in the best 
language. They secure obedience to law by appeals to a 
judiciary that never quails to bribes or threats. Woe to 
the pretender or the snob, to the foolish nobleman who 
forgets his place, or to the suddenly rich who seek admis- 
sion into good society ; for these there are a short shrift 
and a condign vengeance. Their satire is as keen as a 
scimetar. It cuts sharp and close and deep, because it is 
wielded by a skilful surgeon, and felt equally by the guilty 
and by the general public. The British press reaches two 
audiences by this process. It conciliates the rough mil- 
lions who here lie in eager and envious watch over the luxu- 
ries of the fortunate few, and it warns the latter, who are 
often disposed to forget the dangers in the midst of the 
advantages of their position. Herein lies the safety of the 
British Empire. The power that can muzzle "the fierce 
democracy" (even now in this mighty Empire a growing 
and dissatisfied element), and at the same time check and 
admonish the weak men and women of the so-called upper 
classes, is the real conservative despot, if I may use the 
phrase, of modern Europe. 

The last case in which the English press has exerted 
itself is that of Earl Darnley and his tenants. The radical 
organ, Reynolds' Newspaper, I shall permit to tell the story; 
and when I state that this weekly paper circulates five hun- 
dred thousand every Saturday and Sunday you can realize 
the effect of such a statement : 

" A remarkable correspondence has just taken place between Lord 
Darnley, the owner (by virtue of parchment deeds) of extensive estates at 
Cobhani, and Mr. William Lake, the Mayor of Gravesend. It appears 
that, not very long since, the pugnacious Earl was colonel of the West 



EARL OF DARNLEY' S STRANGE PROCEEDING. 



349 



Kent Yeomanry, but, owing to disputes that had arisen between himself 
and the officers of that corps, the commandant considered it the best 
policy to retire from the regiment. In fact, in consequence of the strong 
opposition his proceedings evoked, In- hail no other alternative left. It 
was but natural to expect, under the painful circumstances attendant upon 
his Lordship's retirement, that his feelings would be wrought upon, and 
that his temper should be ' riled.' Desirous to break up the regiment, if 
ible, he took steps in this direction. For example, the Mayor of 
Gravesend, whose son was a private in the West Kent Yeomanry, was 
requested to employ his influence to induce the young man to quit the 
coips, at the same time observing that all his other tenants had obi 
his behest. Not only so, but the Mayor was informed that such a blind 
compliance with a feudal command would ' make a great difference be- 
tween us as landlord and tenant.' Thus the dictum went forth, which the 
tyrannical Lord considered would be most slavishly and profoundly sub- 
mitted to 'with bated breath and whisp'ring humbleness.' 

" Not so, however. Lord Darnley had this time mistaken his man and 
his influence. With the true spirit of a free English citizen, the Chief 
Magistrate of Gravesend replied to the impudent letter in the style and 
spirit which it deserved. He stated that he had solicited his son to enter 
i vice of his country, and thit he failed to see why any dispute which 
had occurred among the officers would justify him in asking his son to 
ret in-. Not this alone, but Lord Darnley gets a severe rap over the 
knuckles in being told, ' Nor can I think that the relationship between a 
loyal subject and his Queen should in any way be interfered with by that 
of landlord and tenant.' To this sharp note the irritable Earl sent an 
enigmatic response. It was to the effect that the position which the Mayor 
of Gravesend occupied on his bumptious Lordship's estate was a peculiar 
one, and required consideration ; adding, that if his meaning was not self- 
evident, he was ready to explain his innuendoes. As Mr. Lake was be- 
fogged by the lordly epistle, he wrote to state th.it lie could not compre- 
hend Lord Darnley's meaning — indeed, who could? — and urged further 
explanation. 

" To this particularly curt communication the secretive man of blue blood 
responded elaborately. Therein, he particularizes an affected act of kind- 
ness performed in suffering the Mayor to retain one of his Lordship's best 
farms, ' notwithstanding your change of residence,' an event allowed be- 
cause of the supposed unhealthiness <>f the locality of Chalk, and as he had 
proved himself ' a good tenant as to care and culture.' Really, this is com- 
bining the philanthropic with tin- practical and profitable in an unusual de- 
Further, the perturbed Peer essays to attack his antagonist, chiding 
him for the sort of ' reward' he returned to his lord and landlord. Why 
should the Mayor of Gravesend have acted differently to the rest of the 
tenants and the tenants' sons? These poor people had the 'good taste' to 

3° 



35° 



EARL OF DARNLEY' S STRANGE PROCEEDING. 



show with what commendable feeling they regarded their late commander- 
in-chief, by abandoning, of their own accord, it is said, the ranks of the 
Yeomanry service. More fools and snobs they for so doing! Again, the 
recalcitrant Mayor is upbraided for having entered upon a position and 
formed associations different from the tenant farmers on the Cobham estate 
generally. Next follows a reprimand because Mr. Lake has not pleased 
to think as do his fellow-tenants, or to have met the big Earl and them 
during five years at the anniversary dinners. Lord Darnley holds to the 
absurd opinion that it is decidedly wrong for his correspondent to maintain 
a position of isolation. Nay, he ventures in this noon-tide of nineteenth 
century civilization to erect the fell standard of feudalism, and descends to 
justify a relationship between landlord and tenant which it is impossible to 
maintain without abject forfeiture of manhood and manly independence. 
What Lord Darnley deigns to characterize as ' sympathy of sentiment and 
identity of interest' in such relationship, is nothing less than deliberate sub- 
jection to the will and whims of land purloiners, who labor under the de- 
lusion that they have their holdings, and should rule their tenants, by a kind 
of ' Divine right.' In conclusion, the irate representative of the old intoler- 
ance gives Mr. Lake a polite notice to quit. He observes : ' It appears to 
me to be a fair matter for consideration how far any person who prefers to 
disregard this kind of understanding, is justified in keeping out some one 
else who would not disregard it.' Taking it altogether, the entire affair is 
disgraceful, whatever complexion his Lordship of Darnley may please to 
put upon the same. Why a father should be punished for the sins of his 
children is something new in the moral code. But the aristocratic eye is 
blind and cannot see ; the aristocratic judgment is warped and cannot pro- 
nounce aright; the aristocratic will is obdurate, and cannot help being 
despotic. We recommend to Lord Darnley the study of his own motto, 
' Look to the end' — may it be of aristocratic assumption ! But there is 
another feature in this case that must not go unnoticed. This conceited 
and browbeating Earl has deliberately endeavored to break up the 
Yeomanry corps he once commanded, and this in an underhand way. 
Is it fitting such a man should longer remain a deputy-lieutenant and 
magistrate of the county? Most certainly not." 

This is the democratic view of Earl Darnley's position, 
and I would not send it you, from such a source, if all the 
English papers, with few exceptions, — and one of these, I 
ought to add, The Times, — had not rebuked the insufferable 
insolence of this snob, Darnley, who, if he were a true rep- 
resentative of his class in Great Britain, would speedily 
necessitate a revolution more absolute than that which made 



FOREIGN EXHIBITORS. 



35* 



Oliver Cromwell an illustrious necessity. But the press 
steps in and says " Halt !" and " Halt !" it is through all 
the realm. 

London, October, 1875. 



L X X X I. 

Foreign Exhibitors. — The Gramme Light. 

My correspondent at Geneva writes as follows, under 
date of October 23 : " You will have a good representa- 
tion from Switzerland at the International Exhibition. 
There will be embroideries from St. Gall, silks from Zurich, 
music-boxes, watches, and jewelry from Geneva and the 
mountains. Last winter everything was gloomy — now all 
is bright and cheerful." 

The Democracy of Italy have issued an address to the 
Centennial Commissioners. It is written on parchment, 
with a beautiful vignette, and is said to be a fine specimen 
of the old Latin style. Italy, like Russia, is rapidly 
making up for lost time, and you may be sure the Italian 
section will be almost as well filled as it was in Paris in 
1867 and in Vienna in 1873. 

The last intelligence from Russia in reference to the 
International Exhibition will be found in the Voix and the 
St. Petersburg Gazette. These journals agree in the dec- 
laration that an active participation on the part of Russia 
in the Exhibition will be an excellent way to renew the 
good-fellowship up to this time existing between Russia 
and the United States. Above all, they remark the advan- 
tages to us from an interested point of view, with direct 
reference to commercial and agricultural products that will 



352 THE GRAMME LIGHT. 

. be sent, and these are additional reasons for congratulat- 
ing the Minister of Finance on the amiable spirit he has 
evinced in the matter. At this time Russia, it is well 
known, consumes annually a considerable quantity of 
American cotton and petroleum, but there is no direct 
commercial relation established between the two countries ; 
England and Germany continue to impose a tax on all 
their American importations sent to Russia. It is probable, 
also, that Russia will find these traders and merchants in 
Philadelphia, who will endeavor to come between our 
transports that could as well be sent direct, through our 
own organized agents, from the Baltic to New York and 
New Orleans and Philadelphia. No less advantage will we 
derive from the personal observation of rules of science, 
professional manners, and the classification of arts, which 
are said to have reached a high point, of which to this time 
we are entirely ignorant. In enumerating these advan- 
tages, our contemporary has the candor to point out a dis- 
advantage arising from the American peculiarity of avoid 
ing the distinction conferred by decorations and medals, 
which were so prodigally bestowed at the European exposi- 
tions. 

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a small Principality 
of two hundred thousand souls, mostly Germans, is wonder- 
fully stirred by the Centennial preparations of the great 
Governments around it. A part of the territory of Hol- 
land, yet still maintaining its peculiar organization, its 
charge if affaires at Paris asks for a separate section in the 
International Puddings. But as Holland has accepted the 
President's invitation, Luxembourg must take its place in 
that special department. 

A very ingenious process for illuminating the whole of 
Fairmount Park with the Gramme light, which has been 
shown for several weeks past from the lofty tower at Char- 
ing Cross Station, is about to be presented for the consid- 



THE GRAMME LIGHT. 



353 



eration of the Park Commissioners. I have seen a model 
of it, and have no doubt of its perfect success. Aided by 
the chart or map of the Park and its environs, the super- 
intendent of this beautiful contrivance proposes placing one 
light on the hills east of the Park, near the Schuylkill, 
another on George's Hill, and several more on the north 
and the south. In mixing the rays of this extraordinary 
invention he is quite sure that he will reveal every hill and 
dale of the three thousand acres. I hope to send forward 
his schedule or scheme at an early day. Of course, many 
considerations will enter into the project of lighting the 
Park, the chief being whether the International Exhibi- 
tion will be open at night. Next will come the important 
item of expense. But the invention is so useful and so 
simple that it will deserve a careful examination. Mr. 
Zerdeman, who has been for several weeks making his 
scientific calculations, is a German resident of London, 
and seems quite confident that he can accomplish this im- 
portant task at a comparatively moderate cost. Applied 
to lighthouses on the coast and to ships in danger on the 
sea, it has received the highest commendations from some 
of the largest Governments in Europe. 

In my mention of American enterprises in London, I 
failed to do full justice to the great firm of Arkell, Tufts 
& Co., shipping and commission house, 32 Great St. 
Helen's, London, and their main house in New York. 
This house has been established in England for twenty 
years, and from the first took a leading place in American 
business. They ship all classes of goods to all quarters of 
the globe. 

London, October, 1875. 

30* 



354 QUEEN VICTORIA. 



LXXXII. 

Queen Victoria. — Murmurs of the Press. — Her Character of John Brown. 

Her Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria Alexan- 
drina, was born at Kensington Palace on the 24th of May, 
1819. She is the only child of the late Duke of Kent and 
of the Princess Louisa Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield. 
Nothing is more interesting or amusing to Americans than 
the complaints of what are called the middle classes be- 
cause the Queen faithfully cherishes the memory of the 
Prince Consort and refuses to live in London. Just now 
our English cousins have a new cause of objection to her 
Majesty. Whenever she can get rid of Windsor and its 
duties, she retires to her castle of Balmoral in Scotland, 
where, in the midst of her little court, and surrounded by 
her humble retainers, she enjoys herself in a quiet way. 
This, for years past, has become a sort of habit. 

Her favorite and faithful servant, who was also the 
favorite and faithful servant of Prince Albert, is a gigantic 
Highlander named John Brown. The other day the old 
John Brown, his father, passed out of the world, and his 
remains were followed to the grave by her Gracious Majesty 
Queen Victoria. This act, in itself alike praiseworthy 
and innocent, at least to the American visitor, has roused 
intense indignation, and John Bull is roaring through all 
society, high and low, simply because the poor Queen con- 
descended to walk in the funeral train of the father of her 
favorite servant. You would be startled if you could hear 
the innuendoes against her Majesty in consequence of this 
somewhat republican proceeding. One of the widest circu- 
lating weekly papers, the Sunday Times, under the head 



MURMURS OF THE PRESS, 355 

of "A Royal Prank," breaks into a fierce explosion of 
rage, of which the following short extract is a specimen : 

" The time has, we think, arrived when some one should speak, and that 
boldly, on a subject which, however delicate, can no longer be overlooked. 
With a full knowledge of the responsibility which rests upon us in doing 
so, we should be omitting a duty we owe to the public if we refrained from 
calling attention to the embarrassment which is likely to arise if the Chief 
Magistrate of the realm continues to exhibit that lack of prudence which 
has lately characterized her public conduct. We may safely say that a 
thrill of positive astonishment went through the public mind last week on 
reading the extraordinary prank in which the sovereign of this great nation 
has been indulging. Some ten days ago a respectable old Scotch croften 
went the way of all flesh. His only claim to public notice consisted in the 
fact of his being the progenitor of a morose- looking gillie who, by some 
strange fatuity, has worked himself into the position of walking shadow to 
the greatest Queen in Christendom. And yet the obsequies of this obscure 
little northern farmer, but scarcely removed above the rank of a common 
laborer, are honored by the personal attendance of her Majesty, who 
followed the coffin from the cottage to the nearest point where a hearse 
can approach. In thus parading herself before the world as a laughing- 
stock for the whole of Europe, we do not hesitate to say that the Queen 
has done one of the most ill-advised acts which has marked her long 
reign. The tongue of scandal is ever busy, and ' the fierce light that beats 
upon a throne' will not admit of actions which, however harmless or even 
laudable in themselves, are derogatory to the dignity of the nation repre- 
sented in the person of the sovereign. Recent circumstances with reference 
to the lamentable accident in the Solent have shown the public that the 
advice tendered to her Majesty is not always of the soundest, but it seems 
to us beyond comprehension that those court officials whose duty it is to 
arrange the Queen's public movements should have allowed her to place 
herself in such an invidious position as that of the chief movirner to John 
Brown's father. We are willing to make every allowance for the Queen's 
well-known kindness of heart, and had the deceased been a favorite old 
servant, the unusual breach of etiquette might have been allowed to pass • 
but even when that poor excuse does not exist, the public want to know 
why such unusual honor is showered on an unknown Scotchman, when an 
empty carriage and a red-faced coachman arc considered the proper 
' mourning' for the greatest and best men in the country when they are 
borne to their final rest. It is almost impossible to realize the effect which 
will be produced on the unthinking portion of the community when they 
see in every shop-window a certain cheap illustrated paper, in this week's 
number of which her Majesty is depicted with a woe-begone aspect follow- 
ing a coffin borne by four bare-legged Scotchmen, and immediately pre- 



356 MURMURS OF THE PRESS. 

ceding two brawny persons in very scanty clothing, representing the two 
eldest orphan Browns. The most rampant Red Republican could never 
have suggested an act more calculated to serve his views than this unfortu- 
nate spectacle." 

I am often reminded here of what the English call the 
excessive brutalities of the American press, but I do not 
think anything quite as coarse and vulgar as the above pas- 
sage has ever appeared in a respectable newspaper in the 
United States. The Queen's standing offence is the com- 
parative simplicity and seclusion of her life. She goes to 
no places of amusement, gives few entertainments, and is 
only seen in London on great public occasions. This ab- 
sence from society incenses the shopkeepers, who literally 
live by the lavish expenditures of the nobility. There is a 
want of manliness in such articles as that from which I 
quote. The writer goes as far as safety will permit, and 
leaves room for suspicions of the most revolting kind. Yet, 
strange to say, there is hardly an Englishman whose anger 
would not be aroused when an American, which, I am glad 
to say, rarely occurs, echoes any slander upon the Queen 
of Great Britain. A paragraph like that I copy published 
in France against a high official would lead to instant sup- 
pression of the offending newspaper. There is not a lady 
in the realm who can point to a purer personal character 
than Queen Victoria. The mother of nine children, she 
excels not only in domestic virtues, but refuses to recognize 
in her court circle or her drawing-rooms any person of 
doubtful character. If it were proper to introduce names 
into this correspondence, I could print numbers of cases 
in which ladies of the best families have been excluded 
from the court in consequence of their fast lives. It seems 
to me quite reasonable that an act of such voluntary kind- 
ness as that of going to old John Brown's funeral arouses 
such unmanly criticisms as these, chiefly because Victoria 
sets a democratic, or, rather, a liberal example. 

Considering what liberties have been grossly taken with 



VICTORIA'S CHARACTER OF JOHN BROWN. 357 

Queen Victoria's name and character, in connection with 
John Brown, her attendant, it is only fair, considering that 
Majesty cannot defend itself, to quote a passage, which 
comes in very apropos, from one of Queen Victoria's books, 
— " Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands, 
from 1848 to 1S61." In this work, published in 1868, 
mention is made of a boating-party on Loch Muich, in 
September, 1850, when the Queen and her husband were 
rowed by "Duncan, Brown, P. Cotes, and Leys." This 
is the first time that Brown is named, and, following her 
habit of giving some particulars about persons in the Scot- 
tish Highlands, the Queen has supplied the following 
foot-note to his name. "He is," she wrote, "the same 
who, in 1858, became my regular attendant everywhere in 
the Highlands; who commenced as gillie in 1849, anc ^ 
was selected by Albert and myself to go with my car- 
riage. In 1 85 1 he entered our service permanently, and 
began in that year leading my pony, and advanced step by 
"step by his good conduct and intelligence. His attention, 
care, and faithfulness cannot be exceeded ; and the state 
of my health, which of late years has been sorely tried and 
weakened, renders such qualifications most valuable, and, 
indeed, most needful in a constant attendant upon all occa- 
sions. He has since, most deservedly, been promoted to 
be an upper servant, and my permanent personal attendant 
(December, 1865). He has all the independence and ele- 
vated feelings peculiar to the Highland race, and is singu- 
larly straightforward, simple-minded, kind-hearted, and 
disinterested; always ready to oblige, and of a discretion 
rarely to be met with. He is now in his fortieth year. 
His father was a small farmer, who lived at the Bush, on 
the opposite side to Balmoral. He is the second of nine 
brothers, three of whom have died, two are in Australia 
and New Zealand, two are living in the neighborhood of 
Balmoral, and the youngest, Archie (Archibald), is valet to 



358 RUSSIA, TUNIS, AND FRANCE. 

our son Leopold, and is an excellent, trustworthy young 
man." This record, creditable alike to the Royal lady 
who was not afraid to do justice to a faithful servant, and 
to him who is its subject, was written, it appears by its 
date, in December, 1865. 

John Bright told me a few months ago that Queen Vic- 
toria was one of the most careful and domestic women he 
had ever met, and you will remember Mr. Bright had 
frequent opportunities to meet her while he was a member 
of the Government, during Mr. Gladstone's ministry. Per- 
haps her Majesty sees that the time is coming when all 
crowns, titles, and privileges will be swept away, and that 
it can be no loss of dignity to her womanhood to mingle 
occasionally with the humbler classes of society. There is 
one nation on earth that can never forget, and that is the 
United States, how Queen Victoria and the Prince Con- 
sort frustrated the attempt of at least one domineering 
statesman, Lord Palmerston, to place the Government of 
England on the side of rebellion during our civil war. 

London, October, 1875. 



LXXXIIL 

Russia, Tunis, and France at the Exposition. 

The Russians are making tremendous efforts to be rep- 
resented at the Centennial. All the departments of the 
Russian Government have now taken hold with extraor- 
dinary zeal. This is in consequence of Imperial orders, 
and as those are imperative every class co-operates with the 
Royal Commission. The Russians care very little about 
money. They pour it out like water, and now that they 






RUSSIA, TUNIS, AND FRANCE. 359 

have reconsidered their action, you must prepare for a 
superior display. The Russian chief of the Royal Com- 
mission cabled to Philadelphia for additional space in the 
International Buildings ; but the demand came too late, 
and Russia could not be accommodated with more than had 
been originally allotted to her. They were much disap- 
pointed at this natural decision ; but it did not slacken 
their zeal. They have engaged two large steamers at Ham- 
burg to carry out their specimens. The great Russian 
organ, The Golos, or Voice, of the 23d of October, has 
published the Imperial view of the Centennial situation. 
It is a comprehensive retrospect upon our past relations 
with the Russian Empire, and a noble pledge of amity in 
the future. 

There is other good news from another part of the Old 
World — a new proof of the cosmopolitan character of the 
Exhibition. The following official document from the 
Bey of Tunis, one of the Barbary States, addressed to 
our well-known fellow-citizen, Mr. George Harris Heap, 
for nine years American consul in that small State, shows 
the anxiety of its ruler to utilize President Grant's invi- 
tation. The condition of the Tunisian representation at 
Philadelphia is the acceptance of the honor conferred 
upon Mr. Heap by the Bey of Tunis. Permission to dis- 
charge the duties of this station will, it is hoped, be granted 
by Congress early in the next session. There is no pay 
attached to the position, and if Mr. Heap can be author- 
ized to undertake its duties it will secure to us from Tunis 
a valuable and unique contribution : 

[Translation.] 
PRAISES TO THE ONLY GOD! 
From the servant of God (may His name be glorified)! From the one 
who relies on the Almighty for the conduct of all his affairs. The Moo- 
slicer Mohammed El Sad ok, Pacha Bey, possessor of the Kingdom of 
Tunis, to the most venerated and respected Mr. (i. Harris Heap, consul 
of the United States of America in our capital of Tunis. 



360 RUSSIA, TUNIS, AND FRANCE. 

Agreenbly to the invitation which you presented to us in the name of 
your Government to send a personage to represent our Government in the 
Tunisian section of the Exhibition at Philadelphia, we have given orders to 
prepare such of the important productions of the country as was done for 
the exhibitions at Paris and Vienna, that they might be sent to the afore- 
mentioned Exhibition, and this in order to demonstrate the good relations 
which exist between the two Governments. 

As we have been informed that you desired to ask permission to visit 
your country at the opening of the Exhibition, and as we know that you 
have always shown a great love for our country and constant wish for the 
welfare of our person, we have deemed it advisable to place this mission 
under your charge ; that is to say, to appoint you our envoy as our First 
Commissioner in charge of the Tunisian section of the Exhibition. 

We are confident that your Government will authorize you to accept 
this mission, and that you will not decline it. 

Your long residence in this country ; your acquaintance with its re- 
sources and products ; and, above all, your good intervention, which has 
produced the best relations with your Government, give us the greatest 
security that you will represent our Government in the manner most satis- 
factory to us and the most honorable to yourself. 

May you remain under the safeguard of God ! 

Written the 21st Rajeb, 1292 (23d August, 1875). 

Khairedine, 
First Minister. 

Many indications combine to justify the hopes and pre- 
dictions that the Centennial year will show a large improve- 
ment in business. A useful illustration will be found in 
the report just published by General Torbert, American 
consul-general for France. The table of exports to the 
United States from all the French departments in 1874 
shows an increase over the previous year of two million 
seven hundred and forty-one thousand seven hundred and 
forty-nine dollars and eleven cents, and a total expenditure 
of sixty-one millions even hundred and sixty-seven thou- 
sand four hundred and four dollars and four cents. This 
official statement shows what good customers we are in the 
purchase of French goods, and also why France is making 
such great preparations for the Centennial. 

London, October, 1875. 



TUP PER' S DRAMA OF "WASHINGTON:' 361 
L X X X I V. 

Martin Farquhar Tupper's drama of "Washington." 

Several English and American gentlemen lately met 
the well-known Mr. Martin Farquhar Tupper at the resi- 
dence of the American minister, in London, for the 
purpose of hearing him read his new play called " Wash- 
ington," a drama in five acts, which he introduces as 
follows : 

" Having all my life through had an honest admiration of George Wash- 
ington (in a very early book, ' The Modern Pyramid,' he is one of my 
worthies of mankind), I rejoice in the chance of making a monograph of 
his noble life, and my well-known international sentiments now for nearly 
half a century, dating as they do ancestrally from much older times, will 
be a good excuse, if such be needed, for producing this play on the Cen- 
tenary of American Independence." 

Mr. Tupper was born in London in 1S10, and from 1838 
down to the present time has contributed many volumes to 
English literature. His " Proverbial Philosophy," pub- 
lished in 1844, is well known on both sides of the Atlantic. 
This was followed by many other sketches and poems. 
Severely criticised as he has been, it is conceded that he 
has done great good by the high moral tone of his writings, 
many of which are far above mediocrity. It was a novel 
experience to hear an English gentleman reading a drama 
in which the whole argument and much of the history of 
the Revolutionary War is illustrated and condensed, and it 
was specially gratifying to notice the effect upon his own 
countrymen as he carried us through the varied scenes of 
the play. I am not quite sure that his " Washington" 
could be successfully produced in America, although the 
English gentlemen present insisted that it would be favor- 
Q 3 1 



362 TUPPER'S DRAMA OF « WASHINGTON" 

ably greeted in London. I have no doubt that after some 
necessary alterations, if represented in America during the 
Centennial year, it would be handsomely rewarded. Mr. 
Tupper introduces Washington, Franklin, Patrick Henry, 
John Adams, Benedict Arnold, Marquis de Lafayette, 
Major Andre, Bishop (Washington's negro body-servant), 
Martha Washington, and Mary Arnold, the sister of the 
traitor. A tew passages will give you a touch of the quality 
of the play. 

It opens with Arnold's violent patriotism, as if to show 
that extreme men are always to be distrusted, and he fol- 
lows with several excellent pictures of Franklin and of 
Washington. The former has just returned from England, 
and reports his reception by the British Council in London. 
I quote what Franklin said : 

I said we hated priestcraft, and would none 
Of State religion and its hierarchy ; 
We would have none of foreign laws or judges 
Or taskmaster officials grinding us 
By tyrannous taxation everywhere ; 
I told them we denounced, renounced all these, 
And claimed, though loyal still, self-government. 
Yet all fell through ; an utter chaos of failure 
<■ Seemed to crash round me, like a shattered world; 
And I then felt much as that self-strong man, 
Horace, you remember, who defied, 
As you, with me, defy, the thunderbolt 
Even of tyrannic Jove himself. Alone, 
In the calm majesty of self-respect, 
I then threw down your gage of Independence, 
And, full free conduct granted, came away 
Pledged, like yourselves, a rebel for the right. 

And Washington's answer: 

Thus, England, we must break away from thee; 
My fathers' home for full four hundred years, 
Or ever we came here, a century back, 



TUPPER'S DRAMA OF "WASHINGTON." 363 

Must be renounced forever. 

Be it so. 
If in this struggle I win the glorious prize, 
Our people's freedom to the end of time, 
A nation that shall overflow the globe, 
Making this hemisphere the fountain-head, 
Lo ! what a Pisgah view to one who stands 
The Father of his country to all ages, 
Living in them revered — but if I lose, 
How swift and terrible the penalties ! 
The vast estates my honored father left me 
Forfeited, my rich revenues by marriage 
Confiscated, and that best-loved wife a beggar, 
While for myself the traitor's hideous doom, 
Hanged, drawn, and quartered. What a fearful price 
For the mere strife to conquer liberty ! 
Is there no middle track? — too late, too late; 
The sword is drawn, the die of fate is cast ; 
Liberty shall be conquered if I live, 
And if I die, for others let me die 
In their just cause of freedom: be the past 
Wiped out as dead — the present bloody effort, 
The future dark as night; but, what of duty, 
What of obedience, what of just affection? 
Are these all sure and safe on freedom's side ? 
Can I abjure my country and my King, 
Nor feel a parricide against a mother ? — 
Mother! Yet are there seen some so-called mothers 
Unmotherly, harsh-featured, heavy-handed, 
The callous and hard-hearted sort, in whom 
Maternal instinct is all dead, while those 
Counted her children, driven from hearth and home, 
Can no more call her blessed ! Mother ! well — 
If she neglects to teach and train her sons, 
Crushes their energies for selfish gain, 
Makes them her serfs and drudges, keeps them down, 
Though they are grown full-fledged for liberty, 
When freedom is their right— is this a mother 
To taunt me with ingratitude, or claim 
Parental honor? No! King George's England 
Has shown small mercy to her far-off sons, 
Exiled for conscience-sake in evil days ; 
And we are still fallen on days as evil ; 
Tyrannically taxed, straitened, kept down, 



364 TUPPER'S DRAMA OF "WASHINGTON: 1 

Treated like children — worse, like slaves! O soul ! 
Pray hard for better times. May some glad change 
( Haply long hence — perhaps a hundred years — 
For nations move but slowly) yet find England 
Leaning upon America, her son, 
Returned to love and bless her; thanking Heaven, 
Whose overruling wisdom ordereth all things, 
Making man's wrath work the good-will of God, 
That these twin giant peoples linked together 
Shall hold both hemispheres in fee between them, 
Making the world their one Imperial realm ! 

Here is John Adams' description of the opening of the 
war : 

At Lexington first blood was drawn : 
Pitcairn attacked us ; but we answered him 
So stoutly that we drove him for six miles. 
He had thrice our force, and we, undisciplined, 
Hunted him to his ships at Charlestown Neck, 
Where he took shelter with his Grenadiers, 
Leaving the victory ours. Massachusetts 
Flung out the watchword, " Death or Liberty !" 
And everywhere the beacons blazed defiance, 
From State to State, through thirteen Colonies. 
Then the great giant woke, and stood up strong ; 
A mighty people, flaming red with rage, 
Gathered by drum and trumpet everywhere ; 
The steeples clashed to arms — even pious preachers 
Stood on their pulpit stairs calling to arms. 
The teamster left his ploughshare in the furrow, 
And galloped with his horses to the war; 
The yeoman tore his rifle from its case ; 
The draper leapt across his counter straight, 
Eager to fight for freedom ; even women 
Swarmed in as volunteers, and very children 
Shouldered the muskets they could scarcely lift. 
We soon had thirty thousand men in arms, 
Selected from three hundred thousand more, 
And at their head our noble Washington, 
Chosen Commander-in-chief. 

In the second scene of the second act Patrick Henry 
and Washington are in conference, of which the following 
will be read with interest: 



TAPPER'S DRAMA OF ''WASHINGTON." 365 

P. Henry. We can rejoice together, general, 
That our own dear Virginia joined the league, 
Albeit at bloody cost already : Norfolk, 
That loyal town of peaceful homes, burnt down 
By the cold, cowardly despot, Lord Dunmore, 
Who, hiding on a man-of-war in the Roads, 
Dared thus to cannonade us : O King George ! 
If Cresar had his Brutus, Charles his Cromwell, 
'Twere well you profited— I say no more — 
By such examples. 

1 1 'ashington. This is saddening news ; 
Friend, I have more to make me sorrowful. 
New York is falling away ; Connecticut 
Is wearying, is half-hearted in the cause, 
Her levies at our need deserting us, 
Even by battalions — they had served their year 
And must get home; they say, Let others fight. 

sir! my soul has groaned. Where are the men 
With whom I must defend America? 

The weight of care lies heavy at my heart. 
Shamed by desertions, vexed with meanness, 
The jealousy of Congress, and the taunts, 
Even of brother soldiers, slandering me. 

P. Henry. I hear that General Lee has brought a charge 
Of sloth, incompetence — I know not what. 

Washington. Osir! the worst afflictions of a man 
( .1111' from false friends, envious competitors, 
Whispering detraction in a private sense, 
More than from public foes; I can endure 
Defeat, but not defection ; all the toils 
Perils, and open accidents of war, 
But not the secret jealousies of peace ; 
They thwart me, doubt me, misinterpret me, 
Maligning all that's done, and left undone. 

1 may stand up serene, but feel it still. 

A street in Baltimore, Scene III., Act II., is curious as 
revealing what Mr. Tupper insists is the true history of the 
origin of the American flag : 

Rachel. But we're not English now. 
Timothy. Who told you that? 

We're Greater Britain, England magnified, 



366 TUPPER'S DRAMA OF "WASHINGTON." 

In origin, and laws, and soul the same. 

What language do you speak ? Who were your fathers ? 

What's your religion, if not Protestant? 

Your books, your liberties, your stalwart force 

Of independent character? — all English; 

They fill an island, we a continent ; 

We are republicans, they monarchists ; 

But our Head Man looks very like a king, 

And their great Ruler is the sovereign people ! 

The name seems well enough, our Yankee flag 

Rachel. You saw it, Timothy? 

Timothy. Yes, girl, at Boston. 

There first was shown that glorious flag unfurled. 

Nathan. Yes, friend, I too stood by when they tore down 
The Union Jack of England, and flung out 
Those stars and stripes. Tell me why stars and stripes ? 

Timothy. It's fair enough ; they make a pretty show 
Shining and wriggling in the sun like snakes. 

Nathan. That's a poor answer. Why choose stripes and stars ? 

[Enter FRANKLIN.] 
Oh ! here comes one can tell us everything. 
Good-morrow, Brother Franklin. Dost thou know, 
And wilt thou say, why they chose stars and stripes ? 

Franklin. Yes, Nathan, I proposed it to the Congress. 
It was their leader's old crusading blazon, 
Washington's coat, his own heraldic shield. 

Nathan. Can this be known, and was it not ambition 

A Cromwell come again? 

Franklin. Listen, good friends : 

It is not known, and it was not ambition. 
He never heard of it till fixed and done. 
For on the spur, when we must choose a flag 
Symbolling independent unity, 
We, and not he — all was unknown to him — ■ 
Took up his coat of arms, and multiplied 
And magnified it every way to this, 
Our glorious national banner. 

Rachel. Coat of arms ? 

What was this coat of arms? 

Franklin. I'll tell you, friends. 

I've searched it out, and know it for myself, 
When late in England there, at Heralds' College, 
And found the Washingtons of Wessyngton, 



TIPPER'S DRAMA OF "WASHINGTON:' 367 

In County Durham, and of Sulgrave Manor, 
County Northampton, bore upon their shield 
Three stars atop, three stars below the fess, 
Gules — that is red — on white, and for the crest 
An eagle's head upspringing to the light. 
The architraves at Sulgrave testify, 
As sundry painted windows in the hall 
At Wessyngton, this was their family coat. 
They took it to their new Virginia home ; 
And at Mount Vernon I myself have noted 
An old cast-iron scutcheoned chimney-back 
Charged with that heraldry. 

Timothy. Well, this is strange, 

And no one knows it ; surely such a relic 
Must soon be cared for, if not worshipped. 

Franklin. Sir, 

Causes are soon forgotten ; consequents 
Quickly close-shadow them as plants their seeds. 
I wot I am the first to tell you all 
This root and reason for our stars and stripes. 
I must be gone. 

Nathan. Farewell ; we thank thee, brother. 

Timothy. Well, Nathan, this is grand about those stars; 
The stars are now thirteen — each star a State, 
And may soon be thrice that, say thirty-nine, 
With " forty stripes save one" to whip the world. 
How say you, Quaker friend? 

Nathan. Well, I opined 

Friend Franklin must have known, and I perceive 
That eagle's head hath pulled a body out 
Full-fledged, as mounting up to the higher heaven 
Trailing a mantlet-cloud of stars and stripes. 
I am a man of peace ; I love not wars ; 
Yet were it well that none should strive with me, 
Or touch, unless in love, those stars and stripes. 

Timothy. Well said, old Nathan ! but we stay too long. 
Come to headquarters ; there is all the news. 

After this the treason of Arnold begins to dawn, fol- 
lowed by its discovery, his flight, and the trial and execu- 
tion of Andre. 

The difficulty of producing a patriotic play is well under- 
stood by dramatists and actors, but the value of Mr. 



368 SOCIAL GATHERING IN PARIS. 

Tupper's effort is the fact that it is a sincere tribute to our 
country, and in proper hands may be a useful addition to 
dramatic literature. Mr. Tupper stated that his aged aunt 
had met Benedict and Mrs. Arnold in London, and he had 
often heard her describe them. I recalled the fact to my 
English friends that popr Major Andre had lived in Phila- 
delphia during the British occupation, and was an especial 
favorite in consequence of his amiable temper and graceful 
manners, and that he was quite active in organizing private 
theatricals. Mr. Tupper will visit us during the Centennial 
year, and will doubtless personally superintend the intro- 
duction of his play, if it is to be performed there. Only 
a few copies of it have been printed for private circulation, 
one of which he placed in my hands. 

LONDON, November, 1875. 



LXXXV. 

Social Gathering in Paris. — M. Laboulaye's Eloquence. 

The Hotel du Louvre has been the scene of many bril- 
liant gatherings, but few more impressive than the recent 
gathering in honor and aid of the colossal monument to 
'be erected on Bedloe's Island, in the harbor of New York, 
the foundations of which are to be laid during the Centen- 
nial year. The banquet originated with Major Bartholdi, 
the young artist who conceived the monument, and his 
compatriot, the generous M. Caubert, who visited Phila- 
delphia in 1874, and returns to us early in the spring of 
1876, in company with him. Two hundred French and 
Americans were invited on this interesting occasion, and 
nearly every character famous in politics, war, and litera- 
ture in this beautiful country was present. At a time 



SOCIAL GATHERING IN PARIS. 369 

when party spirit runs high all parties met in response to 
the call of the designer of the monument, which was. 
strikingly symbolized in a superb transparency at the end 
of the hall, facing the company. 

The Republican leader, Laboulaye, presided, surrounded 
by the descendants of Lafayette and Rochambeau; the 
Marshal-President, MacMahon, with his immediate staff; 
Leon Say, Wallon, De Meaux, and Jules Simon, of the 
Cabinet; De Tocqueville and Henri Martin, the historian; 
Emile de Girardin, the journalist, with Beranger, Alexan- 
der Dumas, Jr., Dietz-Monin, the chief of the manufactur- 
ing interest ; Michael Chevalier, the political economist; 
all the Parisian editors and most of the French artists ; 
Offenbach, the king of the opera bouffe ; Galliaudet, 
formerly of the Courrier des Etats-Uiiis, in New York ; 
General d'Abzac, Admiral De Fourichon, Admiral Pothu- 
nan, the minister of the Swiss Republic, Mr. J. C. Kern, a 
large number of Deputies, and most of the American 
sojourners in Paris, including the artists, May, Bacon, etc. 
The American minister at London sat on the right of the 
President, and Mr. Washburne directly in front ; Consul- 
General Torbert, Major-General Sickles, General Eaton, 
United States army; Dr. Evans; Mr. J. W. Tucker, the 
banker; Mr. J. F. Ryan, the able Paris editor of the'New 
York Herald ; Mr. Guelyn, of the New York Times; Mr. 
Bainbridge, of the Philadelphia Press ; Dr. Crane, of the 
American Register ; Hon. Richard Parsons, of Ohio ; Gen- 
eral McKee Dunn, of the Department of Justice, Wash- 
ington, D. C. ; Dr. Johnston, the favorite American phy- 
sician ; J. C. Mackenzie, of Galignani 's Messenger ; George 
B. Mickle and E. Detmold, of New York, and many more. 
The spacious banqueting-hail of the Hotel du Louvre, one 
of the finest in the world, with two tables parallel the 
whole length^ and another extending the whole width at 
the end, presented a scene of rare splendor. 
Q* 



370 M. LABOULAYE' S ELOQUENCE. 

The events of the evening were a cable despatch to Presi- 
dent Grant that Frenchmen of all parties had joined their 
American brethren in hearty preparations for the Centen- 
nial year; then the news from the Centennial Commission 
at Philadelphia, conveyed through Mr. Owen, the British 
Executive Commissioner, to the American Commissioner 
to Europe, Mr. Forney, that the most liberal concessions 
had been made to foreign exhibitors at the Centennial, and, 
finally, the two remarkable speeches of Mr. Washburne, 
American minister at Paris, and M. Laboulaye, the presi- 
dent of the banquet. Mr. Washburne's address contained 
a mass of interesting facts relating to the French participa- 
tion in the Revolution, collected from the choice treasures 
in the great libraries of Paris. Although Mr. Washburne 
spoke in English to an audience largely composed of French- 
men, his impassioned syllables reached every breast, and 
the vast saloon rang with responsive cheers. His speech is 
now in many a Paris household, and thus the undying grati- 
tude of a great people across the Atlantic is felt in every 
French breast to keep alive a peaceful affection by means 
of an increasing commerce and a constant intercourse be- 
tween the two peoples. 

But if the French caught the American enthusiasm of 
Mr. Washburne, what shall I say of the American response 
to the French welcome of M. Laboulaye? His words ex- 
cited a prodigious enthusiasm. What he said has been well 
translated into English for some of the papers here ; but it 
is impossible, by that means, to realize the quiet and easy 
grace with which he pronounced it. It was the perfection 
of semi-colloquial oratory. Names and dates came to him 
in magical succession, and his rhetoric was dignified with- 
out dulness, and convincing without dogmatism. He struck 
the rock of the past till the finest memories flashed before us 
like living waters. No one who then heard Laboulaye for 
the first time could wonder that he is so ardently beloved 



M. LAB O LEAVE'S ELOQUENCE. 371 

and so obediently followed by the people. He spoke for 
three-quarters of an hour without notes, rather like a philos- 
opher than a statesman, and as he carried his hearers along, 
he wove into the web of his story alternate jewels of wit 
and pathos that called forth laughter and tears. I noticed 
that some of his political opponents tried to be indifferent at 
first, but he gradually unlocked their hearts till he had the 
whole house on his side. Nothing escaped him. Every 
incident of American history, and of the night, was ab- 
sorbed in his generous tribute. No name was left un- 
noticed — and when he finished he was as unruffled as when 
he rose. I hope the letter he has addressed to President 
Grant in favor of Bartholdi's colossal lighthouse in New 
York harbor will be responded to as it deserves. The 
French are giving the largest part in work and money to 
it, and our share of it should be forthcoming readily. 
Although I have had the pleasure of knowing M. Labou- 
laye several years, having been presented to him by my 
lamented friend, Mr. Charles Sumner, in 1867, this was 
the first time I ever heard him speak in public. Every- 
body recollects his marvellous work, "Paris in America," 
and, perhaps, some of my readers may possibly recall his 
magnificent letter, addressed to myself, which appeared in 
The Press in 1S68, in support of General Grant's election 
to the Presidency. As I have said, the charm of his written 
rhetoric is nothing like the charm of his spoken eloquence. 
Such was the effect produced by this wonderful effort that 
it was followed by the most generous subscriptions to the 
lighthouse, forty thousand francs, or nearly ten thousand 
dollars, having been raised on the spot. 

The descendants of the Frenchmen who helped us during 
the Revolution watched him with affectionate solicitude 
while he was speaking, and the Americans were quite as 
rapturous in their cheers as the Frenchmen. How M. 
Laboulaye can resist the constant, earnest invitation of 



372 CAPTAIN HARRELL. 

his American friends to visit Philadelphia in 1876, is to be 
wondered at. He says he is too old. He was sixty-four 
on the 1 8th of last January, but does not look more than 
fifty. 

Paris, November, 1S75. 



LXXXVI. 

Captain Harrell. — The "Herald" Reading-Room in Paris. 

Captain J. W. Harrell, the English gentleman who 
sent to our International Exhibition a valuable collection 
of paintings by the old masters, still stored in the ware- 
house attached to the Philadelphia Custom House, has been 
denounced in some of our newspapers as something of an 
impostor, and his pictures either valueless or fraudulent. 
The time has come to correct this by stating the plain 
truth. Captain Harrell is connected with one of the oldest 
families in Great Britain ; is a member of the Junior 
United Service Club, one of the most influential in Lon- 
don ; served with great distinction in the British army 
during the troubles in India, and resigned his commission 
at the time of his marriage. I do not know any gentleman 
in London who is more warmly appreciated than Captain 
Harrell. His friends are devoted to him, and those who 
have known him longer than I have pronounce him a man 
of the strictest integrity and honor. His pictures are 
genuine works of art by the old masters. I have seen the 
catalogue and conversed with connoisseurs who have ex- 
amined them, and declare that they are equally rare and 
valuable. So much is due to a gentleman who has been 
made the target of severe and undeserved reflections. 
When I remember that this gentleman has expended a 



THE "HERALD" READING-ROOM IN PARIS. 



373 



large sum of money in packing and sending these fine 
works of art to Philadelphia, and will revisit our city in 
1876, I feel certain that these voluntary words in his be- 
half will be responded to by my brethren of the press at 
home. He came among us a stranger, and was surprised 
at his rough and somewhat uncourteous reception, and I 
hope when he returns he will receive an honest and hos- 
pitable welcome. 

Lately, in Paris, I visited the beautiful office of the New 
York Herald in the Place d'Opera, an evidence of the 
thoughtful generosity of James Gordon Bennett. The 
chief of this handsome establishment, John J. Ryan, Esq., 
has so organized and ornamented it as to make it one of 
the most agreeable resorts in the gay French capital. On 
the broad is of the bulk window of the first floor you 

find every day the latest cable dispatches from all parts 
of the world, particularly from the United States. Inside 
on this floor are the business offices of the Herald, where 
you find the clerk and the chief. On the second floor you 
enter by convenient stairs into a reading-room admirably 
furnished. There are two hundred American papers on 
the files, a larger variety than is found anywhere else in 
Europe. There are always gathered the most intelligent 
of our country people, ladies and gentlemen. It has all 
the advantages of a club, without the disadvantages, and 
you make and renew many valuable acquaintances. There 
is an air of comfort and quiet — an American home-feeling 
— in the place perfectly delightful. 

LONDON, November, 1875. 



374 THE SUEZ CANAL. 

L XXXVI I. 

The Suez Canal. 

John Emil Lemoinne, a celebrated French writer, born 
in London of French parents on the 17th of October, 1815, 
at present one of the editors of the Journal des Debats, 
has been devoting himself for years to the exposition of 
British policy. A man of remarkable wit, boldness, and 
originality, he is something of a prophet withal. Within 
the last year he has repeatedly predicted that Great Britain 
would quietly give the conge to Turkey and as quietly 
assume the protectorship of Egypt. This design has been 
steadily denied by the English until the collapse of Mo- 
hammedan credit and the repudiation of Mohammedan 
securities compelled a frank development of the ultimate 
designs of Great Britain on the Eastern question. The 
London Times of November 26, 1875, proved that M. 
John Lemoinne was something more than a political pam- 
phleteer, by announcing an achievement on the part of the 
British Government which shows that he had truly foretold 
the future. By a stroke as sudden as it was startling, The 
Times announced the purchase of all the interest of the 
Khedive of Egypt in the celebrated Suez Canal. There are 
four hundred thousand shares in this company. The Khe- 
dive owned one hundred and seventy-seven thousand, which 
he has sold to Great Britain for four millions sterling, or 
twenty millions of dollars. To give you a full idea of the 
manner in which this transaction was laid before the English 
people I quote The Times' 1 announcement : 

"THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND THE SUEZ CANAL. 
" The following- is a copy of a telegram received by the Bank of Egypt 
from their head office at Alexandria : 



THE SUEZ CANAL. 375 

" ' Egyptian Government sold to English Government Suez Canal shares 
for four million pounds sterling. Minister is authorized to chaw this amount 
on Rothschild at sight.' 

"The following may be stated to be the effect of this transaction: The 
Khedive having offered to sell to her Majesty's Government the shares 
which he holds in the Suez Canal for the sum of four millions sterling, the 
Government has accepted the offer, subject to the approval of Parliament. 
The Khedive is the holder of about one hundred and seventy-seven thou- 
sand shares out of the four hundred thousand into which the capital of the 
company is divided. 

" We have to-day to make a somewhat startling announcement. The 
British Government has bought from the Khedive shares of the Suez Canal 
to the amount of four million pounds sterling, and the Egyptian Government 
is authorized to draw on Messrs. Rothschild at sight for the amount. An 
event like this will rouse curiosity to the utmost, and let loose the flood of 
conjecture and speculation. There is an audacity about it which we do not 
generally associate with the acts of a British Ministry. We seem to trace 
in the business the hand of Mr. Disraeli. While people are looking towards 
the East in doubt and apprehension, discerning nothing but darkness and 
trouble, political confusion and financial collapse, while they are wonder- 
ing what is to be the end and how far England will be perforce concerned 
in it, the Queen's Government resolves on an act which will at once fix the 
regards of the world. No waiting for Parliament, no feeling of public 
opinion, no mysterious hints to prepare the city and the country for some- 
thing remarkable. The nation awakes this morning to find that it has ac- 
quired a heavy stake in the security and well-being of another distant land, 
and that it will be held by all the world to have entered upon a new phase 
of Eastern policy." 

Ismail Pacha, Viceroy, or Khedive, of Egypt, the con- 
senting party to this transaction, son of Ibrahim Pasha, and 
grandson of Mehemet Ali, was born at Cairo on the last 
day of 1S30, was educated in Paris, and in 1855 visited 
France on a confidential mission, which undoubtedly led 
to the construction of the Suez Canal. The French diplo- 
matist and engineer, Viscount de Lesseps, originated this 
gigantic scheme in the face of the doubts and opposition of 
the English engineers, and also against the steady hostility 
of Lord Palmerston, then at the head of the British Gov- 
ernment. Many difficulties, diplomatic and physical, pre- 
vented the rapid completion of this stupendous work. The 



376 



THE SUEZ CANAL. 



Emperor Napoleon interposed his authority to hasten this 
end, and on the 15th of August, 1869, the Canal was for- 
mally opened at Port Said in the presence of the Empress 
of the French, the Emperor of Austria, the Crown Prince of 
Prussia, Prince William of Orange, the English and Russian 
ambassadors, and many English, American, and French 
visitors and journalists. Every subsequent year has added 
to the importance of this great canal, and especially its 
necessity to English commerce, being the nearest, safest, 
and most direct way to the English possessions in India. 
The finances of Egypt, though not so deplorably hopeless 
as those of Turkey, were in just that position that any acci- 
dent might tumble the whole machine into chaos, and no 
doubt the knowledge of this fact impelled the English Minis- 
try to begin that series of negotiations just closed in the prac- 
tical absorption of Egypt by the British Government. In 
one sense the acquisition of the Canal will certainly recoup 
many English holders of Turkish and Egyptian securities, 
the latter having largely increased in value since the publica- 
tion of the despatch and the comments of the London Times. 
France has been quietly shoved out of the great canal com- 
pany, and there can be no doubt that Great Britain is to- 
day the owner of a large number of the four hundred 
thousand shares. 

The entire English press of all parties cordially supports 
the bold act of Mr. Disraeli and his associates. In fact, the 
suddenness of this coup d' ' ctat left none of the newspapers 
time to think ; they had to act at once, or to fall into the 
rear as timid and ignorant doubters. It remains to be seen 
what other powers will say, especially France. Judging 
from the news from Paris this morning, the shock was far 
greater there than even in London. Perhaps M. John 
Lemoinne will speak again, and, judging by the unanimous 
attack that was made upon him a few days ago in conse- 
quence of his prophecy, he will strike still heavier blows 



THE SUEZ CANAL. 



377 



in the Journal des Debats and call forth still more angry- 
denunciations from the English newspapers. The Times 
boldly passes from the acquisition of the Canal itself to the 
practical British ownership of the whole Kingdom of 
Egypt : 

" The possible results of this national investment are so large and indefi- 
nite that it would be vain to speculate upon them, and yet they present 
themselves persistently to the imagination. It is plain that we acquire an 
interest in Egypt and its administration which will compel the constant 
attention of the Queen's Government. We have purchased nearly half 
the shares of the Suez ('anal. We are the largest proprietors, and it need 
not be said that the others will look to us for the management of the prop- 
erty, the protection of the common interests, and the maintenance of satis- 
factory relations with the local Government and with the other powers of 
the world. To this country will belong the decision on every question, 
whether scientific, financial, or political ; administration and negotiation 
will be in our hands, and as we have the power, so we shall have the respon- 
sibility before the world. Add to this that we shall probably receive offers 
of further large amounts of shares, and that the interest of the British 
Government will inevitably tend to increase. It is evident that the position 
of a company in which the principal proprietor is the first naval and com- 
mercial power in the world is very different from that of a company con- 
sisting of a multitude of sm ill French shareholders under the patronage 
of one monster proprietor, the ruler of the land. The possession of the 
Suez Canal is now a great political power which must be considered in all 
discussions of the Eastern question. Any scheme derogatory to the rights 
of the company will be met, not by a feeble body of investors, but by a 
nation which can make its will respected, and has the strongest interest in 
doing so. We have now an abiding stake in the security and welfare of 
Egypt. Our possession is in the nature of things fixed and local. It will 
grow in value with the growth of the regions in its neighborhood as well as 
in the increase of distant traffic; and to this growth we must look in part 
for the profit on the investment. Everything, therefore, that concerns that 
southeastern corner of the Mediterranean becomes of importance to Eng- 
land. The security of Egypt is part of the policy of this country. This, 
which connects itself with the general attitude of England on the Eastern 
question, is the first consequence of the recent act of her Majesty's Gov- 
ernment. We feel sure that the nation will not shrink from this respon- 
sibility, but will rather be glad to know that our policy in the East will 
henceforth be not merely the prompting of a vague partisanship, the justice 
of which our rivals might question, but will be based on substantial interests 
which we have an undoubted right to maintain." 

3 2 * 



37§ 



THE SUEZ CANAL. 



Every hour adds to the interest excited by this bold 
transaction. The Suez Canal shortens the voyage to India 
by more than five thousand miles, and this fact alone ex- 
plains the reason why the British Government has decided 
upon a step with such promptitude and boldness. Neither 
press nor Parliament nor people were consulted, yet the 
proceeding will be sustained, especially if France begins to 
threaten, as, under all the circumstances referred to, may 
be anticipated. The Canal itself has never been English up 
to this time in any one of its features, either in its origin, 
its progress, or its completion. Lord Palmerston, as I have 
said, while at the head of the Government, set his face 
against the whole scheme, and offered every kind of resist- 
ance. The consequence has been, the Canal Company had 
a legal domicile in France, where most of the money was 
subscribed. The French courts had given judgment in all 
disputes and the authority over the Canal was wholly vested 
in them, and the French Commission on the Suez Canal, 
which sat in October of 1871, declared that although Eng- 
land used the Canal more than any other nation, still Eng- 
land had no locus standi in the matter. It is a little 
curious, that while several of these great newspapers rush 
to the front in bitter denunciation of the United States, 
because of the alleged purpose of President Grant to assume 
the protectorate over Cuba, the British Government was 
at that very moment of time busily engaged in providing 
for the absorption of Egypt as a simple commercial trans- 
action, without consulting its own people, or paying the 
slightest attention to any of the European Governments. 

LONDON, November, 1 75. 



MR. P. CUNLIFFE OWEN. 



379 



L XXXV III. 

Mr. P. Cunlifie Owen, C.B. 

It is quite time that the long silence in reference to the 
resignation of P. Cunliffe Owen, Esq., Executive Commis- 
sioner of the British Commission to Philadelphia, should 
be broken ; first, in justice to himself, and secondly, in 
justice to the people of England and America, who have 
been equally startled by this wholly unexpected action. I 
do not propose going into a full explanation of the reasons 
which compelled him to abdicate a position in which he 
was doing so much good. None of the causes originated 
among the Americans, either here or in Philadelphia. The 
whole affair has been confined within official and English 
limits. Nor was the final action of the Government 
prompted by the slightest question of his private integrity 
or public fidelity. Suffice it to say that in the face of 
instructions which must have fettered his usefulness and 
impaired his independence he could have done nothing 
but resign. He twice tendered his resignation to the Duke 
of Richmond, and finally, that Minister, who is the Lord 
President of the Privy Council, accepted it. Colonel 
Herbert Sandford, who visited Philadelphia last spring, 
and Professor Archer, of the British Museum at Edinburgh, 
succeed in the management of the British section at Phila- 
delphia. I violate no confidence when I tell you that the 
American minister (General Schenck) and myself did every 
thing that could properly be done to induce the declination 
of Mr. Owen's resignation ; and in this effort we were aided 
by prominent officials as well as by many influential Eng- 
lishmen. Mr. Owen remains the Director of the South 



380 MR. P. CUNLIFFE OWEN. 

Kensington Museum, and it is most gratifying to state that, 
while he does not deny his disappointment at being unable 
to return to Philadelphia to resume there congenial labors, 
he still retains the deepest interest in the Centennial, and 
will never neglect an opportunity to help us. It was very 
natural that the news of his resignation should excite sur- 
prise and dissatisfaction among the English exhibitors, and 
a deputation called upon the Duke of Richmond to protest 
against the policy which compelled Mr. Owen to retire. 
It must not be forgotten that many Exhibitors had de- 
cided to come to Philadelphia in consequence of Mr. 
Owen's personal and persistent efforts. Hearing of this 
deputation to the Duke of Richmond, Mr. Owen called 
upon them, and stated that it was his duty and their duty 
to continue to support the Centennial Exhibition, and 
that the only effect of their refusing to send their con- 
tributions would be to place the British Government in a 
false position and to do him [Owen] a personal injury. 
This is like the man, and it had the desired effect. The 
following is the reply, taken from the Anglo-American 
Times, to the deputation of British exhibitors, who called 
upon the Duke of Richmond and asked the restoration of 
Mr. Owen : 

" A deputation of exhibitors having addressed the Lord President on 
the subject of Mr. P. Cunliffe Owen's resignation of his appointment as 
Executive Commissioner, the following answer was given : 

" ' Education Office, 
" ' Whitehall, 9th December, 1875. 

" ' SIR : I have, as I promised to the gentlemen whom I saw here with 
you on the 6th, and again on the 8th of December, communicated to the 
Duke of Richmond the statements they made on behalf of themselves and 
other intending exhibitors at Philadelphia, on the subject of Mr. Owen's 
resignation. 

"'His Grace desires me to inform you that, having the interests and 
success of the Exhibition warmly at heart, he was very glad to obtain the 
assistance of Mr. Owen as chief executive officer of the British section. 



MR. r. CUNLTFFE OWEN. 381 

He is fully aware of the confidence reposed in Mr. Owen, both by the 
directors of former Exhibitions and by those who took part in them as ex- 
hibitors, and therefore regrets he has been compelled to accept Mr. Owen's 
resignation. 

" ' His Grace is himself personally directing the business of the British 
section, in the hope and with the express view of securing for it a brilliant 
success; and he thinks himself fortunate in having been able to secure the 
services of two gentlemen in whom he has the fullest confidence. One of 
these, Colonel Sandford, R.A., who was employed in the Exhibition of 
1862, was appointed official delegate to represent the British section in 
America, at the express request of Mr. Owen, under whom he has been 
acting ever since the exhibition. He is, therefore, acquainted with all the 
preliminary steps that have been taken in connection with the exhibition. 
His colleague, Professor Archer, as is well known to the leading exhibitors, 
has taken a prominent part in various capacities in the principal interna- 
tional exhibitions held of late years in Europe, and is thoroughly familiar 
with all the details of these undertakings. 

" 'The Lord President is very confident that the interests of the Exhibi- 
tion, and of the British exhibitors, have been entrusted to the officers who, 
under his own supervision, will be both able and willing to promote the 
success which it is his Grace's earnest desire to secure. I am, etc., 

"'J. R. Sandford. 

" ' A. B. DANIELL, Esq., 46 Wigmore Street, Cavendish Square, W.' " 

The same journal editorially says, — 

" Mr. Cunliffe Owen, C.B., has resigned, to the profound surprise and 
disappointment of Philadelphia. The Commissioners desire the reconsid- 
eration of this movement, in view of Mr. Owen's experience in exhibitions, 
ami his known value as an executive officer. There appear, however, to 
be strong reasons against the President of the Council acceding to the 
wish expressed by the Commissioners, of which he may be the better judge. 
Yet it is to be deplored that there should have been a misunderstanding, 
culminating, too, in what is little less than a catastrophe. The Duke of 
Richmond has filled the vacancy with Mr. Archer, well known to art in 
Scotland, the chief executive officer being Colonel Sandford, R.A., who pro- 
ceeds immediately to Philadelphia, while the Duke will himself superintend 
the arrangements in England. The number of British exhibitors appears 
to be in the neighborhood of seven hundred — of course excluding the Col- 
onies, which will be more fully represented than ever before. The names 
include many of the best known manufacturers of the United Kingdom, 
and we feel assured that they will have no reason to repent the step. 
Indeed, it was those who hung fire till too late who have to be condoled 



3 82 



MR. P. CUNLIFFE OWEN. 



with. Since this was in type we have received the Duke of Richmond's 
reply to the deputation of exhibitors who addressed his Grace on the sub- 
ject of Mr. Owen's resignation, which will be found under our heading of 
' Centennial News.' " 

It will also gratify Mr. Owen's friends in America to know 
that he will use all his influence to encourage and confirm 
the Continental exhibitors to the Centennial. I can per- 
sonally testify that there was not a Government authority 
on the Continent which did not, when I called in reference 
to our International Exhibition, refer to Mr. Owen's ex- 
perience and energy as essential to the general enterprise. 
He had met the commissioners of all the nations at Paris 
and Vienna, and it was as natural for them to look to him 
while making preparations for Philadelphia for 1876, as it 
was for him to send forward his own suggestions, either 
voluntarily or in response to their requests. It gives me 
pleasure to add, as you will perceive from the letter of the 
Duke of Richmond's secretary in reply to the British ex- 
hibitors, that his Grace pledges himself to make every ex- 
ertion, so far as Great Britain is concerned, so that while 
losing the direct influence of Mr. Owen we shall have the 
more emphatic action on the part of the new agencies 
appointed by the Government. 

London, December, 1875. 



" THE TIMES." 3S3 



LXXXIX. 

" The Times." 

Nothing marks the broad difference between the public 
sentiment of Great Britain to-day and say fifteen years 
ago in regard to the United States than the tone of the 
London newspapers, and especially The Times. That 
journal is now as fair and intelligent in its discussion of 
American subjects as it was unfair and reckless before and 
during our civil war. There are a fulness and a fidelity in 
its editorials — a noble impersonality and dignity — which, 
while exciting my admiration and surprise, are cherished 
as models of composition and examples for imitation. A 
friend of mine has presented me a file of The Times during 
the Rebellion, which I often read, not alone because of 
the contrast between the comments then and those of the 
present time by the same paper on our country, but because 
it seems impossible that the two conditions of thought and 
opinion should appear in the same paper. The Times takes 
in the whole range of European politics, morals, religion, 
and science ; not in long essays a week after the special 
event has happened, but at once, so that a telegram re- 
ceived the night before of a battle in Herzegovina, an elec- 
tion in Paris, a princely progress in India, a Turkish or 
Egyptian default, a German debate, a Roman decree — is 
the next morning treated with elaborate facts and in a style 
of commanding eloquence. And now the United States 
has attained the position of a leading subject in the same 
great journal. Not less than three times a week is this 
subject discussed in its many-sided aspects. There is no 
partisanship apparent. The scales are held with even bal- 



384 " the times:' 

ance and steady hands. The Times has shown strong sym- 
pathies with our Southern people, and yet within the last ten 
days it has twice, with great emphasis, while commenting 
upon the late debate in our National House of Representa- 
tives on the universal amnesty bill, referred to the wholly 
unprecedented clemency of the victorious Government to 
the men who attempted its overthrow under such dreadful 
and tragical circumstances. Not less candid was its view 
of the position of General Grant's Administration on the 
Cuban question, a view which showed what England would 
do with such a nuisance near its borders as an endless and 
bloody insurrection. This reiterated judgment of The 
Times has mortified the local vanity and sounded like an 
unalterable verdict to Spain and the Continent. This 
same great journal has come to consider free trade as a 
fair topic for manly difference, in view of the depression 
of manufacturing at home and the loud cry for "protec- 
tion" in Canada and other British colonies. 

Established the 1st of January, 1788, by the grandfather 
and namesake of the present proprietor, Mr. John Walter, it 
has become the conceded leader not alone of public opinion, 
but the feeder of a whole realm of other journals, daily, 
weekly, and monthly. It receives the first news of the 
action of the Government, because it really dominates 
and moulds public sentiment by its impartiality, and not 
because it flatters power. But let it not be said that The 
Times abuses the Government ; it abuses nobody, and is as 
free from a foul word as it is from a deliberate misstate- 
ment. It simply speaks out in manly and courteous terms 
on all topics, and is open to conviction from others, as it 
is free to condemnation of them. Its immense wealth and 
opportunities give it, of course, enormous influence, but it 
deserves to be said of its present management, at least, 
that these rare advantages are rarely abused, and certainly 
that with all its gigantic means it never descends to the 



" THE TIMES." 385 

artifices of the newspaper bully or speaks of an adversary 
in the slang of the streets. It lias its side; it is conserva- 
tive to the core, and yet, while it takes issue with Mr. 
Bright or Mr. Gladstone, it does not hesitate to take issue 
also at times with Mr. Disraeli or Lord Derby. It is in 
favor of the restoration of the Empire in France, and 
yet it treats Gambetta and the Republicans with almost 
knightly consideration. To-day it prints articles in favor of 
putting vvorkingmen on English juries, and its leader this 
morning on the "Centennial" is only one of many of 
equal ability. This utterance is not so much that of the 
Government as of the English people, and I am sure it will 
give a certain satisfaction to our own countrymen. The in- 
telligence that Congress would pass the one million five 
hundred thousand dollar appropriation came in simulta- 
neous with the news that all obstacles to foreign exhibitors 
had been removed by the Treasury Department at Washing- 
ton, which has been followed by an increase of British 
exhibitors and by more enthusiasm among all classes. If 
our modern American statesmen could understand how 
closely their votes are watched and how carefully their 
words are weighed on this side of the Atlantic, they would 
be wiser than they seem to be at this distance. They will, 
however, realize in a short time that the best amnesty bill 
of the age is the Centennial Commemoration, and that no 
money is half so well expended as that lately given to the 
Centennial Commissioners. 
London, January, 1876. 

R 33 



386 QUEEN VICTORIA OPENS PARLIAMENT. 



XC. 

Queen Victoria opens the Parliamentary Session of 1876. 

A subdued glitter of bronze, gold, and red, with the throne 
at one end — or, as we would call it, the speaker's chair — 
and a gallery at the other, running deep from the back 
wall, while around the two sides of the chamber is one 
tier of seats — the House of Lords is always impressive ; 
but this afternoon as I looked upon the scene preparatory 
to the entrance of Queen Victoria to open the British Par- 
liament, the first time since 1S71, it was strangely interest- 
ing to me. I had seen this gorgeous hall before, and I had 
also seen her Majesty, but I had never enjoyed the oppor- 
tunity of a royal opening of the British Legislature. The 
House of Lords is an oblong square, not so large, I think, 
as our own Senate Hall, and six hundred people would fill 
it. To secure a ticket for this occasion was like winning 
a prize in a lottery, and as mine was a sort of farewell 
before going home, I utilized it by putting in my appear- 
ance precisely at one o'clock. I took a hansom cab from 
my hotel, and ordered the driver to take me to the north 
gallery of the House of Lords. The distance was not a 
mile, but the people had turned out en masse to greet 
her Majesty, and the streets in all directions were packed. 
Over three thousand policemen were organized to hold 
this fearful multitude in check, while regiments of horse 
and foot were in read'iness to punish any violence. A 
London mob is not more significant than the prepara- 
tions of the (Government to put it down. This vast con- 
course was waiting for the royal procession with a wonder- 
ful quiet and good temper. The windows and doorways 



QUEEN VICTORIA OPENS PARLIAMENT. 387 

were filled with spectators at a guinea a seat, while the 
walks were black with the populace, with the police and 
soldiers before them in double walls of staves, swords, and 
muskets. 

After passing between files of guards and Parliamentary 
officials, I found myself in the north gallery, facing a blaze 
of peers and peeresses, churchmen and judges, statesmen, 
soldiers, and courtiers. I was a little late, and the cham- 
ber seemed to be nearly full. My first impression was a 
mingling of white and crimson ; then a sense of oaken 
roofs and panels, and through all an incense of flowers and 
antiquity. The stained windows at the sides, the Scrip- 
tural paintings at the opposite or throne end, where the 
Queen's chair was waiting for her with the royal robes 
thrown over it — all under a sort of religious mist to me in 
the half-twilight of this expectant hour. Gradually I 
began to pick out the people from this maze and color 
with the aid of a polite Englishman at my side. But he 
bewildered me with his knowledge of the great people 
before me. He was an abridged peerage, especially when 
he discovered I was an American. I confess I am so much 
of a republican that I soon got tired of his painful itera- 
tion, till suddenly the twilight was lost in a sudden blaze 
of gas from ten burners, each in the shape of a crown, 
pendant from the vaulted roof of the noble oblong square. 
Then I could see in the midst of the response of glad sur- 
prise always awakened by a quick burst of light that nearly 
all this bright audience was composed of women, and that 
the men were few and far between. Along the lower floor 
the raised seats of the peers were occupied by their wives 
and daughters, and the middle oaken tables of the Ministry 
were crowded with canonical bishops and pages. 

The Queen is memorably and militarily punctual, and 
the few minutes before the appointed hour of two soon 
passed, at almost the exact moment of which she entered, 



3S8 QUEEN VICTORIA OPENS PARLIAMENT. 

accompanied by the Princess of Wales (the Prince, her 
heir-apparent husband, being in India), the Duchess of 
Edinburgh, the Princess- Louise of Lome, the Princess 
Beatrice, the Duke and Duchess Mary of Teck, and others. 
The ladies in the audience had been previously notified 
that when her Majesty came in their shawls should be re- 
moved, and when the royal cortege came we had a display 
of busts of all ages. There was no prayer, no guns or 
drums, no choir, no anthem. As her Majesty advanced 
the whole audience rose, and as she ascended the throne 
she bowed in response, when the company nestled down 
with obedient grace. She is a smaller woman than I ex- 
pected, dressed in black and gold, aged fifty-seven, and 
evidently accustomed to command. There was a long 
pause to allow the Commons to come in under the back 
gallery. Then the Chancellor (Lord Cairns) handed to the 
Queen a roll of paper on which the "Speech from the 
Throne" was written. Her Majesty slightly bowed and 
returned it to him, with the request, not audible but under- 
stood, that he would read it. This he did, standing close 
to the throne, and was very audible. This done, the Queen 
rose and bowed again, and with her ladies and gentlemen 
retired, after which the spectators took their leave, and 
the members of the House proceeded to the work of ap- 
proving or amending the royal speech. 

It is clear that this state document, really a ministerial 
manifesto, is a remarkable concession to liberal ideas. No 
one can stay in London for a year without seeing that the 
English Government can no longer be administered in the 
Tory interest. Great questions lie in the immediate future 
— perhaps great troubles. An overcrowded population, a 
loud clamor for popular education, a demand for more 
markets, for manufactures, and more wages for the work- 
men, the monopoly of the lands by the nobility (that old 
thunderbolt just re-launched by John Bright), the foolish 



WESTON THE PEDESTRIAN. 



389 



Slave circular of the present Ministry, the purchase of the 
shares in the Suez Canal, the complications in Turkey, the 
impatience of the peoples of India, where two hundred 
millions of natives are held in subjugation by sixty thousand 
foreign soldiers, and last, not least, the increasing restive- 
ness of the people in consequence of the enlightened and 
independent press — all these are questions or troubles that 
demand attention. As I passed out of the north gallery 
of the House of Lords, and once more beheld the enor- 
mous multitude, held back by a resolute constabulary and 
ready military reserves, I felt that England was fortunate 
in having a woman for a monarch, and that the gentle 
ministrations which saved the world from a war between 
England and America twelve years ago may be the surest 
medicine for the evils, secret and open, which threaten 
the Commonwealth of Great Britain. 
London, February 8, 1876. 



XCI. 

Weston the Pedestrian. 



There has been a little excitement in London, within 
the last few days, owing to the friendly challenge of 
Edward Payson Weston, the American pedestrian, to walk 
the greatest number of miles for twenty-four consecutive 
hours, addressed to Mr. William Perkins, the English 
champion, who accepted it with the declaration that Eng- 
land was behind no other nation in athletic accomplish- 
ments, and particularly in the matter of pedestrianism. 
The prize was a handsome silver cup to the declared 
winner, and the match began on Tuesday, February 8, at 
9.25 p.m. The place selected was the vast Agricultural 

33* 



39° 



WESTON THE PEDESTRIAN. 



Hall at Islington, where the great cattle-shows are annually 
held, and where Moody and Sankey held their monster 
religious festivals alternately with their colossal assemblies 
at Covent Garden Theatre. It is a hall as large or larger 
than the depots at Broad and Prime and Thirty-second and 
Market Streets, Philadelphia, equal to the accommodation 
of thirty thousand people, around which two oblong circles 
were set apart, one for the Englishman, the other for the 
American. At first Weston wore a velvet coat, jaunty hat, 
and white kid gloves, with top-boots of thin patent-leather, 
and carried a thin riding-whip in his hand. The com- 
petitors never met till after the Englishman had accepted 
the challenge of the American, and it was interesting to 
note the early confidence of our British cousins as they felt 
sure of success. 

Muscular philosophy is one of the cherished institutions 
of these populous islands. To ride, to hunt, to run, to 
yacht, to jump, to punt, and, above all, to walk, not to 
say to rink, which, like the spelling-bees, is copied from 
our American example, and is now called j-inki/alisjn (to 
the horror of the High Churchman), are dear to the Eng- 
lish man or woman. I have seen athletic young England, 
red-faced, red-necked, red-handed, fearlessly fresh from 
some terrific encounter with stormy weather on land and 
sea, walking through the parlors of the great, as proud of 
their rough complexions and their pugilistic encounters, 
their running with the hounds and hunting with the hares, 
as if they had just come in from some victorious battle. 
Thus they cluster to every physical competition with far 
more readiness than they gather to a ball or theatre. It 
must be added that these young Orsons are the preferred 
favorites of the gentler sex, who, in their turn, are them- 
selves proud of riding with. the hounds, at the risk of their 
fair anatomies. So, when John Bull and Brother Jonathan 
met at Islington, it was no wonder that John anticipated 



WESTON THE PEDESTRIAN. 



59 1 



an easy triumph over Jonathan. What made them natu- 
rally confident was the announcement early on the morning 
of Wednesday that the former had outwalked the latter. 
"You see, my friend," was the expression of one of my 
English visitors, " our superiority in athletics is an in- 
herited virtue. It comes from our climate as well as our 
ancestors. It is a part of our education, and accounts for 
our big men and women ; in fact, from our Saxon origin. 
Yours is the race of admixtures. We can admit the fragile 
beauty of your ladies, and the elasticity of your men, but 
you know that ours is a permanent population, and yours 
necessarily short-lived and evanescent. Perkins is the tried 
hero of pedestrianism, and he will give Weston not only 
fair play, but beat him like a gentleman." 

To all this courteous boasting I listened with due hu- 
mility, and about eight o'clock took a hansom and drove 
out to Islington to stand by my countryman in his threat- 
ened defeat. One of my acquaintances quietly remarked 
that it would not be a very agreeable experience to get in 
as a witness to the failure of Mr. Weston ; but with a cer- 
tain old-fashioned notion that he is the best friend who 
stands by you in your hour of distress, I accompanied our 
American minister, and without knowing anything of the 
progress of the walk, we got into the building about half- 
past eight to find that the Englishman, Mr. Perkins, had 
broken down after he had completed but sixty-five miles, 
while Weston in the last half of his twenty-fourth hour 
was followed by cheering crowds of English and Ameri- 
cans, the band playing enlivening airs. There was some- 
thing impressive in the scene, although the throng was not 
quite so genteel as that I had seen in the House of Lords 
when her Gracious Majesty opened the British Parliament. 
Here we saw the better side of John Bull ; the confidence 
of the morning in his own triumph gave way to the candor 
of his admission of defeat. As the light young American, 



39 2 



WESTON THE PEDESTRIAN. 



with head erect and quick, elastic step, passed round the 
oblong circle, he was greeted with " Hurrah for the Yan- 
kee ; go it, Brother Jonathan," and "God bless him, he 
belongs to us anyhow!" Lightly built, agile, pale, and 
firm, with a bright, flashing eye, he looked a sort of young 
Antinous. He saw and recognized us, and with a flash of 
glad and grateful welcome, repeatedly kissed his hand to 
us as he passed. When he finished his one hundred and 
nine miles in twenty-four hours he quietly put on his black 
velvet coat of the morning and again passed round several 
times amid the applauding shouts of the multitude. 

I need not dwell upon the feat of twenty-four consecu- 
tive hours' walking, with scarcely any rest, but I can see 
that our English cousins are readjusting their spectacles 
and begin to realize that we are not a race of little red- 
legged Frenchmen, or a community of dwindling mongrels. 
As we passed out of the great hall and heard the band and 
the shouts of the honest crowds, I could not help asking an 
American friend whether the lamented James Buchanan, 
while minister to England, with his chilling white cravat, 
or Charles Francis Adams robed in his cold ancestral man- 
tle, would have gone out like Robert C. Schenck to mingle 
with the boisterous and somewhat perilous British crowd to 
offer comfort to a young American stranger in London, in 
the hour of his expected defeat, with no hope of his over- 
whelming triumph. 

London, February, 1876. 



THE CHANGE IN BRITISH FEELING. 



593 



XCII. 

The Change in British Feeling. 

There have been spring, autumn, and winter — all in 
twenty-four hours. Such is frequently the division of an 
English day. When I left London for Liverpool (Feb- 
ruary 13, 1876) the streets at 2.40 p.m. were as dry as if it 
had never rained, the sun was out in exceptional splendor, 
and there was an April odor in the air. A warm good-by 
from a party of dear English and American friends who 
met me at the Midland Railway station, followed by a 
grateful farewell response, left me seated in a comfortable 
carriage, on my way to spend a few parting days with a 
hospitable Liverpool family, before taking the steamer 
Indiana for Philadelphia, after an absence of nearly twenty 
months. Before we had got half-way — Liverpool is about 
two hundred and fifty miles from London — the atmosphere 
got cold enough to make me wish for the tin foot-warmers 
(there are no stoves or fires in the English carriages), and 
in the dusk I saw the ground white with snow, which was 
deep when we reached the station" at Liverpool at nine p.m. 
Such is winter in England. The snow melts in a few hours, 
and then comes an alterative of damp, succeeded by rain, 
or a burst of sunshine that soon dries the pavements and 
the highways. These climatic eccentricities are far from 
healthy to the unaccustomed traveller or sojourner, but they 
make the English robust. To face the rain and the fog 
is part of the English education; to walk in all weathers 
is almost a part of the English religion, but to live in cold 
houses is a habit which the American rarely acquires, no 
matter how long he lives here. He shivers as he tries 

R* 



394 



THE CHANGE IN BRITISH FEELING. 



to gather warmth from their small grates, and longs for the 
heated rooms of his distant home as he watches his Eng- 
lish cousins radiant after their long walks, defiant of cold. 
From May till September there is no country in the world 
so delightful as England, with its moderate heat and long 
days, but from November to March it is a trying and often 
an unhealthy interval. Our own frequent fierce summers 
and our frequent fierce winters are happily varied by the 
sweet months of May and June and the protracted glory of 
our Indian summer, and England has no such alternations 
as the American California, or Florida, or White Moun- 
tains, — those delicious pauses, where you can enjoy cool 
breezes in the hottest July or an equal warmth (without the 
fitful chills of the Mediterranean resorts) in the coldest 
January, or the unsurpassed Oriental climate and produc- 
tions lasting through the most of the year, all within easy 
range by rail, and all in the same country. You reach 
them untroubled by change of cars, or currency, or tariffs, 
or language. You sleep and eat in your own flying parlor, 
with no care of baggage to worry you, and when you 
arrive at your destination you find your traps in your bed- 
room at the hotel where you stop. These things will be 
seen by our stranger friends in a few more weeks, and I will 
leave them to decide between the two systems. 

Liverpool, with its seven hundred thousand inhabitants, 
is as different from London as Pittsburgh is from Phila- 
delphia. It is quite stirred by the interest in the near-at- 
hand International Centennial Exhibition. The municipal 
Corporation has just decided, in response to the request of 
the Duke of Richmond, to send over its splendid pictures 
of the Death of Rienzi and the trial of Julian the Apostate. 
Many interesting exhibits will be sent from Liverpool, 
representing many varieties of art and manufactures. 

Time has dealt wonderfully with Liverpool. Its growth 
fairly baffles the science of figures, and not more impressive 



THE CHANGE IN BRITISH EEELEXG. 



395 



sermons were ever preached than the increase of shipping, 
cotton, grain, gold, and iron as illustrated chiefly at Liver- 
pool. In 1840 there were in the whole Kingdom 414 
steamers of all grades, with a tonnage of 108,321, and 8446 
men employed; in 1874 there were 2946 steamers, with a 
tonnage of 1,827,624, and 74,873 men. The imports of 
cotton rose from 59,248,800 pounds to 1,566,864,432 in 
1874; the exports from ^38,673,229 10^258,967,632. 
Of different varieties of wheat and corn there were im- 
ported into Great Britain from 1840 to 1S74 1,641,962.16 
cut. The imports of gold in fourteen years, from i860 to 
1S74, were ^30,379,188. Most of these articles came 
through the port of Liverpool. 

Still more suggestive is the improvement in the senti- 
ments of the people. When our war broke out, early in 
1 S6 r , Liverpool, with a few memorable exceptions, was 
entirely in the hands of the pro-slavery men. Society and 
commerce were completely in their power. The North 
was doubly disliked because it was rapidly becoming the 
rival of England in manufactures. The South supplied 
the cotton and favored free trade. The cotton-dealers 
came to Liverpool like princes on their travels. They 
were courted by the best people, and in return gave exag- 
gerated ideas of Southern superiority and Northern igno- 
rance and inferiority. Comparatively few had ever seen 
the North save through the travelling buyers for great mer- 
chants at home. When the first cannon of rebellion was 
fired, Liverpool echoed it with her sympathy, her ships, her 
press, and her money ; and so loud was the roar of hostility 
to the Union that the few brave men who stood up for it 
were in frequent peril. But now all is changed. There is 
American cotton sufficient for the vast consumption of 
England and the world, but it is made by free men and 
not by slaves — by men who work for themselves, and not 
for those who never worked in their lives. The cotton 



39 6 



THE CHANGE IN BRITISH FEELING. 



lords are deposed, and the cotton trade is in the hands of 
fair men of business, who do not deal in politics as a part 
of their ventures, nor insist on selling their principles with 
their products. Liverpool society and commerce, the great 
men of the cotton and corn combinations, at last recog- 
nize that it was best for America, for England, and for the 
world, that American slavery should die. Northern men 
are now as welcome in the houses of the rich and well- 
born class as their Southern brethren were before the war ; 
and, indeed, Northern ideas are seen in the local struggles 
for education, for better houses for the poor, for higher 
wages, and for enlarged suffrage. 

In July of 1874 the very name of the Centennial was 
unknown to the mass of the people of Liverpool. Now it 
is the topic of the town, and the artists and mechanics, 
etc., to be at Philadelphia, are only the beginning of a 
better and closer and wider assimilation. 

Much of this state of things is to be credited to the 
presence as American consuls at Liverpool since 1861 of 
two such men as Thomas H. Dudley, of New Jersey, and 
Lucius Fairchild, of Wisconsin. We must not blame the 
people of Liverpool if, under the circumstances I have 
referred to, they preferred the South to the North during 
our civil war, especially when the other fact is stated that 
for many years most of our diplomatic and consular agents 
in Europe were men wholly pledged to the interests and 
opinions of the South, and whose business or pleasure it 
was to keep alive the .strife of our sections at home and to 
hold up the American anti-slavery leaders as agitators and 
demagogues. 

Sitting in the office of Consul Fairchild a few hours each 
day before I started, I recall d my own relation to this 
consulate. Nineteen years ago, in this very month of 
February, James Buchanan, President elect, offered me 
this very Liverpool consulate, when it was worth four times 



THE CHANGE IN BRITISH FEELING. 



397 



its present value, which is six thousand dollars per year. 
It had always been the choice plum of past Administra- 
tions, and set apart for the favorites of power as their best 
opportunity. President Polk sent the amiable General 
Robert Armstrong, of Tennessee, and President Pierce 
sent out the gifted Nathaniel Hawthorne, of New Hamp- 
shire, both of them their warm personal friends. I claim 
no credit for promptly declining Mr. Buchanan's offer, 
and I never blamed him for making it. I believe that if, 
for any office, I had left my country just in the beginning 
of the struggle against Slavery, I should have been false 
to my pledge in 1856, when I worked to make him Presi- 
dent ; and he, no doubt, decided it was best to get me out 
of the way. No doubt both of us were sincere. I know 
I was, and he had every reason for being equally so. 

While General Fairchild — you will recollect he lost his 
left arm at Gettysburg on the 3d of July, 1863 — was talk- 
ing about this incident and the possible results to myself 
if I had come to Liverpool in 1S57, a tall, sunburnt man 
walked in, and after a warm welcome from the consul he 
was presented to me as Captain John Short, of Bangor, 
Maine, just arrived with his ship, a sailing vessel, from a 
long southward voyage. I found him intelligent and ob- 
serving — a fair specimen of the New England seaman, 
proud of his calling and of his country. He had paid off 
his crew a few days before, and was waiting for a return 
cargo. " It was vain, General," he said to Mr. Fairchild, 
" for me to plead to them to take care of their money, 
which was a considerable sum to each. They will all be 
without a cent in a day or two. The soberest and best 
sailor on board ship cannot resist the allurements on shore 
for an hour." — " Is this rule universal ?" I asked. " I am 
sorry to say it is — the few exceptions only go to prove it." 
— " What is the proportion of Americans among the sailors 
of the mercantile or trading service ?" — " Not five per cent. 



398 THE CHANGE IN BRITISH FEELING. 

— no, not three. You see our boys look higher, and you 
never find an American among our crews, unless he enters 
himself before the mast, that he may rise to be second mate, 
and finally captain and part owner of the vessel he com- 
mands. But for the Italians, Portuguese, French, and Ger- 
mans we should be in a sad plight; how they spend and 
save I have told you." I need not point the moral of this 
story. 

Now (February 16) the time has come to take my place 
among the passengers of the steamer Indiana, which lies 
waiting in the Mersey, a short distance from the magnifi- 
cent "Landing Stage," or moving wharf, a splendid trophy 
of the greatness of Liverpool, on whose magnificent docks an 
aggregate sum of three hundred millions of dollars has been 
expended. The tug that carries us to the American steamer 
performs her office in a few minutes, and we pass to the 
upper deck to receive the welcome of Arthur H. Clark, the 
commander. She had rested in port for two weeks, and 
had undergone a complete renovation. She looked almost 
as bright and fresh as if she had been painted for the first 
time ; her decks white and ultra clean ; her parlors and 
staterooms newly carpeted and varnished ; the spacious 
dining-room shining under the double polish of its wain- 
scoting of American wood and Philadelphia brasses — even 
the old flag at the fore seemed to be new. For one, at 
least, I felt that I was at home, or auspiciously on my way 
to family and friends. 

This is the twelfth round voyage, or twenty-fourth pas- 
sage, of the Indiana since December of 1874, at which 
time Captain Clark assumed command. She has not had 
one accident, but like her three sisters, the Ohio, the 
Illinois, and the Pennsylvania, has had almost invari- 
able good luck, if we except the catastrophe to the latter 
in February of 1873, when, after losing her captain and 
three of her other officers, she survived a terrible tern- 



HOME WA RD B O UND. 



399 



pest, and was brought into our port by Mr. Brady. Pray 
heaven we may escape the perils of the deep on our home- 
ward way ! 

At Sea, February, 1S76. 



XCIII. 

Homeward Bound. 



On board the Indiana I meet Colonel Herbert Bruce 
Sand ford, one of the two new Commissioners of the British 
section of the Centennial Exhibition, in connection with 
his associate, Professor T. C. Archer (already on the 
ground), on his way to take full command. He is accom- 
panied by his immediate staff — Mr. Hodgkinson (finance), 
Mr. Charrington (correspondence), and Mr. Brett (India) 
— and by one Government Messenger, two non-commis- 
sioned officers of the Royal Engineers, two sergeants, eight 
men of the London Metropolitan Police, and two carpen- 
ters. With what force there is already on the ground, and 
what is to come, the British organization at the Exhibition 
will amount to about fifty men in all. Amiable, intelligent, 
receptive, and energetic, Colonel Sandford is certain to 
become popular. He enters into his work with his whole 
soul ; and having once tasted of America, he returns to us 
eager to prove himself worthy of the high trust reposed in 
him by his Government. 

Pages could be filled with details of European interest 
in the Exhibition. The Ladies' Pavilion attracts much 
attention in London, and many interesting objects will be 
sent to it by the women of Europe Emily Faithfull is 
actively sympathetic. Miss E. Thompson, the artist, whose 



4oo 



HOMEWARD BOUND. 



beautiful painting of the "Roll Call" has suddenly made 
her famous, is engaged on a splendid picture for the Pavil- 
ion, and I was told before I left of some exquisite speci- 
mens of fine needlework about to be contributed to the 
same institution. The women's movement in England, 
and indeed all over the Continent, has received great en- 
couragement from the tact and energy of Mrs. Gillespie 
and her associates in Philadelphia, and their example is 
daily honored in generous assistance from these distant sis- 
ters. The women's departments at the Crystal Palace, at the 
Alexandra Palace, and at the South Kensington Museum, 
are worthy of a great nation. Here all the arts are taught 
to all classes, high and low. Practical experience in do- 
mestic life is conveyed to the highest to fit them for the 
future. The abject are raised from their degradation by 
other agencies ; the poor are shown new paths to self-de- 
pendence, and the well-born and the nobility are forced 
to consider their duties to others as well as themselves. 
These influences are a loftier education — a broader science 
than that of the ordinary schools — and it is easy to see 
that the wonderful women's Centennial organization, with 
its latest expression in the Centennial Exhibition, should 
awaken a new and livelier interest in the labors of a coun 
try which awards to women the superior advantage of the 
chivalric devotion of the men, and superior advantages for 
social improvement at the hands of our National and State 
Governments. Both systems reflect their brightest sides 
upon each other, and while we gather food for imitation 
from the museums of England, we offer in return the les- 
sons of the individual endowment of a 'Scotch brewer, 
Matthew Vassar, at Schenectady, New York, for the ex- 
clusive education of women, and the unexampled spectacle 
of the facilities offered by the people and government of 
New England and other States for the special preparation 
of women for the cares and duties of life. The Cooper 



HOMEWARD BOUND. 



401 



Institute, of New York, founded by the illustrious Peter 
Cooper, and now admirably administered by himself, his 
son, and his son-in-law, Mr. Abraham S. Hewett (one of 
the Centennial Commissioners), where thousands of poor 
girls are provided with the means of useful learning, is 
perhaps the most perfect product of a system peculiar to 
our better civilization ; while that model work, the Girls' 
High School of Philadelphia (which I dare to say lias 
no parallel in any other country), and the female colleges 
of Ohio and the West, and the seminaries founded by in- 
dividuals or by the States, in which both sexes are taught 
alike and at the lowest rates, needed only some such 
new recognition as that offered by the Ladies' Pavilion to 
nationalize and internationalize the great mission for the 
education and elevation of women. Mrs. Gillespie, Miss 
Mary McHenry, and their sisters have builded better than 
they knew. 

As an indication of Colonel Sandford's efforts to help the 
Exhibition in Europe, I have his permission to refer to a 
publication which is shortly to appear in the European 
papers explaining the preparations for the carriage and ac- 
commodation of our guests. This is the great question, 
and it is pleasing to see that the British delegate has met 
it in away so direct. The article states that the subject of 
taking care of visitors was begun by a survey of the city 
of Philadelphia, from which it appeared that there are one 
hundred and twenty-seven thousand houses in Philadelphia ; 
that with the favor of the Centennial Commissioners and 
the co-operation of the four great steam lines running into 
the city (the Philadelphia and Reading, the Philadelphia, 
Wilmington and Baltimore, the North Pennsylvania, and 
the Pennsylvania Central), canvassers were sent out to the 
several wards and districts, who reported that they had 
secured fifteen thousand bed-chambers in private and 
boarding houses, and that each proprietor of each room 

34* 



402 



HOMEWARD BOUND. 



or house had agreed to accept the schedule of the Cen- 
tennial Lodging-house Company, who have undertaken 
this gigantic task. This company gives to the holder a 
bed-room, an American breakfast (the details of which are 
carefully adjusted), supper, and attendance. The guests 
will find their dinners outside, and doubtless generally in 
the Exhibition Grounds. All this for a payment of two 
dollars to two dollars and fifty Cents per day. The traffic 
managers of the four railways and Mr. Jenkins (a native 
Pennsylvanian, of the firm of Messrs. Cook, Son, & Jen- 
kins) are on the Directory of the plan, which cannot fail 
to work well. Before the trains get to Philadelphia an 
agent of the Directory will pass through the trains and call 
out "Coupons!" and the traveller who has previously 
provided himself with one will at once be sent to the room 
he is to live in, the house and the street, and the street-car 
by which he is to reach it. The baggage clerk will receive 
the brass check of the stranger, if he is willing, who will 
be troubled no more till he reaches his quarters in Phila- 
delphia. Colonel Sandford goes on to tell his European 
audience that the old hotels of Philadelphia have increased 
their capacity fifty per cent. " To understand the railway 
accommodations," says this interesting paper, "it must be 
stated that the peninsula on which Philadelphia stands is 
intersected longitudinally on Broad Street, fourteen and a 
half miles long, and transversely by Washington Avenue, 
which extends from the Delaware to the Schuylkill." The 
two steam railways running to the Exhibition Grcunds have 
stations in the very heart of the city, from which trains will 
run to and from Fairmount Park at intervals of a few min- 
utes, as with the London and Metropolitan and District 
railways. The street-cars are an institution, the stations 
are central, and there are numerous lines to the Exhibition 
Grounds. It is proposed to run one car a minute, making 
three hundred per hour, holding, seated, six thousand six 



HOMEWARD BOUND. 403 

hundred ; crowded, twelve thousand, and packed, eighteen 
thousand. 

This statement, the work of an English writer, is by 
this time in circulation all over Europe in different lan- 
guages. 

From personal experience I can testify to the extraor- 
dinary efficiency of Messrs. Cook's agency for travel in 
Europe. With their coupons I travelled last winter from 
Paris to Rome, and back, and found them most convenient. 
Besides the saving in money and time, they save also the 
cost of a courier. To us in America such a luxury will be 
almost unnecessary, with English as the ruling language. 
The absence of custom-houses, of a different currency 
every few hundred miles, of trouble with baggage, etc., 
will make it easy to get on with very little trouble. Tour- 
ists may find a guide necessary at times, but, relieved from 
the vexations that make a companion necessary on the 
Continent, the expense in America will be very little. 

Among our passengers is one of those gentle ministers of 
religion that are haply found in all denominations, the Rt. 
Rev. M. Domenec, Bishop of Alleghany, in Pennsylvania. 
He had just visited Rome and the Head of the Catholic 
Church. He will be remembered in Philadelphia, and 
especially in Germantown, where he resided and minis- 
tered for many years. At once a Spaniard, and a sensible 
and sincere American, he speaks four languages well, and is 
a power among his people. It is characteristic of the modern 
Catholic priesthood that they are better politicians than 
their Protestant brethren. Bishop Domenec claims that 
all the vitality in Italy for the Centennial has come from 
the Pope's final assistance ; but undoubtedly Victor Eman- 
uel's co-operation was earliest if not more earnest. Nearly 
a year ago Archbishop Wood, of Philadelphia, appealed to 
the Pope to give his aid to the Exhibition. There was 
difficulty at first, because the President's invitation to Italy 



404 



CONCL USION. 



went first to the Quirinal (or Victor Emanuel, the King), 
and not to the Vatican (the Pope). But the Catholics of 
the United States are not to be refused, and as they 
were among the very first to hail and help the Centennial, 
the Pope yielded to their appeal, and named Archbishop 
Wood as his representative at the Exhibition. As the case 
stands, all the parties at Rome will be on the ground — the 
Imperial Government, the Papacy, the Garibaldians, and 
the American artists, including those at Florence, Genoa, 
and Naples. 

At Ska, February, 1876. 



XCIV. 

Conclusion. 



The foreign correspondence at Philadelphia during the 
Exhibition will be an interesting feature. Former experi- 
ence has suggested a novel newspaper literature, and now 
that the European visitors are to be placed in direct inter- 
course with our own men of the " ravenous pen," a literary 
rivalry may be expected. The Cable supplies a means of 
expensive competition. It disheartens all letter-writing by 
mail. The London Times, with its enormous revenues, 
stands at the front, Dr. Russell in India telegraphing daily 
columns of the progress of the Prince of Wales, and its 
daily telegraphic columns showing France in its new de- 
velopments. But neither India nor France will be half so 
Interesting as the Exhibition in Philadelphia, and the late 
Veature of Cable despatches in The Times from Philadel- 
phia (placed at the head of that paper's original daily 



COXCL US ION. 



4°5 



foreign news) will be followed by a continuous shower of 
intelligence during the Exhibition. No one, therefore, 
can be surprised to hear that The Times will have a special 
arrangement, daily, with the Anglo-American Cable Com- 
pany, from the opening to the close of the Centennial. 
These messages cost a shilling or twenty-five cents a word, 
a reduction of two-thirds to all newspapers — the price to 
the public being nearly a dollar a word — and thus none 
but rich papers like The Times and the New York Herald 
can afford competition. If the ablest English and Ameri- 
can writers were to write letters for other papers by the 
slow old process, they could send no fresh news after that 
which had been contributed by the lightning Cable corre- 
spondents. This is a period of facts, not rhetoric; of con- 
densation, not comment. We now read our morning and 
evening papers in sentences, not sermons. We get the 
reflection of the world by glimpses instead of essays. 
Whether the world is any better because a thought is 
pressed into a second instead of being spread over an hour 
is a suggestion I leave Professor Leidy to decide. I shall 
like it if it enforces condensation so close that a public 
writer will be confined within decent limits, and will not 
think, because he has space in which to discuss all things, 
he can also scandalize his neighbors and disgrace himself. 

The projectors of the American line of steamships be- 
tween Philadelphia and Liverpool — the only one floating 
the American flag — have had a hard struggle since they 
began that enterprise. Started just before the great panic 
of 1873, they have survived that terrible collapse in the 
face of the fiercest rivalry, and especially against a strongly 
subsidized English system. But the four ships themselves 
have been managed with singular energy and economy at 
home, and commanded with high courage and skill at sea. 

The Indiana is returning by the southern course, as ice 
had already been reported to the northward by outward- 



4 o6 CONCL USION. 

bound steamers — a longer but safer course. As we neared 
the Polar current, which sweeps to the edge of the Banks 
of Newfoundland, where ice was expected, our captain was 
evidently anxious, and during the night did not leave the 
bridge, and kept extra hands on the look-out. I was 
suddenly awakened by the engines being stopped, and 
found that ice had been seen ahead, though it seemed too 
dark to see anything, and from the deck I just made out a 
narrow line of field-ice across the horizon through the cold 
gloom of the morning. The ship remained still until day- 
light, as the captain wished to see the character of the ice 
before deciding upon running the ship through. At the 
first dawn we entered the floe, and gallantly the Indiana 
forced aside the drift-ice — with the cry of "starboard," 
"steady," "port." We threaded our way slowly and 
carefully until not an inch of clear water was seen — only 
ice for miles and miles away, with sometimes a berg; but 
we believed in our ship, trusted our captain, and relied on 
Providence. Five, six, seven hours, and then clear water 
ahead, and, after seventy miles of intricate navigation, the 
ship was free and on the Grand Banks, and the engines 
turned ahead at full speed again. 

The afternoon was calm and pleasant and the sea per- 
fectly smooth and of a most exquisite green, peculiar to 
the Banks, and passengers who had hardly been on deck 
since we sailed from Liverpool were basking in the sun- 
light. Towards evening a breeze sprang up from the east- 
ward, and all sail was set. At eight o'clock it increased 
to half a gale, and the ship 

Flies along on her course, like a steed 
Urged by its rider and proud of its speed. 

Then a thick snow-storm, lasting for some hours, and 
followed by a " nor'wester." As the good ship rides the 
great waves their crests are blown in spray across the deck. 



CONCLUSION. 



407 



The mercury is far below the freezing point, and the mast 
and rigging, for twenty feet above the rails, are glassy with 
ice ; life-lines are stretched along the deck ; the bells are 
so coated with ice that they give no sound; and everything 
is made secure and snug for a hard night. Think of stand- 
ing a watch upon the bridge of a steamship during a night 
like this — the glass at twelve degrees, and in the teeth of a 
fierce gale, with squalls of sleet and snow ! As I sit com- 
fortably writing in the saloon, where everything is warm 
and bright, I feel that we cannot too much respect the 
courage and daring of the men who sail our ships. 

Among the annoyances of the officers are the endless 
complaints and questions of some of the passengers. There 
is only one way on a sea voyage, and that is perfect faith 
in ship and captain, and a firm reliance on Providence. 
An excellent story*of Captain Arthur H. Clark, our "Ad- 
miral," was related to me by a gentleman in Liverpool. 
It seems that upon one of the voyages last summer, the 
ship being full of passengers, a gentleman happened to be 
on board who had never before been out of sight of land, 
and he neglected no opportunity to ask Captain Clark all 
manner of tiresome questions, until even that good cap- 
tain's patience was nearly exhausted. Towards the end of 
the passage it became very foggy ; the ship was running at 
full speed, with the fog-signal going every minute; the 
captain had occasion to leave the bridge for a few moments 
to attend to something which was going on aft. He had 
no sooner reached the quarter-deck than his friend rushed 
up to him and inquired : " Captain, how long will the fog 
last?" The captain waited a moment, as if giving the 
subject his utmost consideration, and replied in a deliberate 
and serious manner : " The fogs about here sometimes last 
for six months, but it seems to be getting a little clearer 
overhead just now, and I should not be surprised if this 
one did not continue for more than three!" 



4 o8 CONCLUSION. 

As we approach Cape Henlopen (Monday, February 28, 
1876), all agree that the voyage from Liverpool has been 
singularly auspicious, though sometimes rough. A sea 
journey is always uncertain. It has its agreeable intervals, 
but even in summer I am not ambitious of being classed 
with those who claim to love "a life on the ocean wave." 
It is an uneasy experience to the healthiest and bravest, say 
what they please; and with all the sea novels ever written 
— including Captain Marryatt, Fenimore Cooper, and Rich- 
ard H. Dana — I think I never knew a sailor, captain, mate, 
or seaman that was not glad to get ashore. I suspect that 
Captain Clark will feel a good deal relieved when he gets 
rid of us at Christian Street wharf, and will enjoy a "square 
meal" at his club with an honest relief that he has finished 
the twenty-fourth passage safely. This voyage proves not 
alone his skill as a seaman, but the stanch qualities of the 
ship he commands. She gracefully cut her way through 
seventy miles of floating ice, passing six respectable ice- 
bergs, each as large as half a dozen Capitols at Washing- 
ton, glowing in the azure of their frozen architecture, from 
which, however, the kind care of the captain kept his 
Indiana at a respectful distance. I have slept well every 
night, have done a full day's work every day, inditing this 
hasty letter with as much ease as if I had dictated it in my 
little office at home. And so good-by, Indiana, and wel- 
come Philadelphia. 



INDEX. 



About, Edmond, French writer, 221. 
Actors, endowments for, 48. 
Agincourt, Drayton's ballad, 342. 
Albert, Prince, his mausoleum at 

Frogmore, 54. 
Alexandra Palace, 224. 
Aileyn, Edward, founder of Dul- 

wich College, 49. 
Amberley, Lord and Lady, in an 

American public school, 280. 
American and British hotels, 145; 

" Extra" extortions in London, 

146. 
American Independence, centennial 

of, II. 

American Minister in England, 87. 

American press of London, 187. 

American steamships, 10. 

Anglo-American Times, on Mr. 
Outline Owen's retirement, 380. 

Aquarium at Brighton, 79. 

Archer, Professor, British Commis- 
sioner, 381. 

Army of Fiance, reorganized, 30. 

Artists, American, in Paris, 33; in 
Florence, 113; in Rome, 116. 

Art sales in London, 141 ; large 
prices obtained, 142. 

Atlantic Cable ; advanced tariff, 317. 

At sea, 9. 

Banks of London, deposits in, 145. 

Bartholdi, Major Auguste, French 
sculptor, 137, 331, 369. 

Be.dloe's Island, Bartholdi's colossal 
lighthouse for, 140, 331, 368. 

Belgium, 200. 

Berl: 11, 203. 

Be van, Rev. L. C, his experiences in 
America, 58. 

Birmingham, 21. 

Black Country, the debased condi- 
tion of, 294. 



Blackmore, Mr. William, his muse- 
um in Salisbury, 328. 

Blanc, Louis, 93. 

Bliss, Mr. William, his manufactory 
of woollen fabrics, 290. 

Blue law in London, 147 ; revival 
of obsolete Sabbatarian statutes, 
148. 

Boarding in Paris, 25. 

Boucicault, Mrs. Dion, 39. 

Boulevards of Paris, 28. 

Boulogne, 25. 

Boyton, Captain Paul, swims across 
the English Channel, 128; ai 
at Boulogne, 129; Queen Vic- 
toria's congratulations, 130. 

Brassey, Mr. Albert, Master of the 
Hounds at Heythrop, 285; his 
stud and stables, 287 ; the " Meet,'" 
290. 

Bridgland, Colonel, his views on 
French and American horses, 133. 

Bright. John, M. P., at Rochdale, 81. 

Brighton, 78. 

navy, present organization of, 
177. 

British press, 347. 

ham, Lend, chateau and tomb 

,1! I .inn' 5, I02. 

Brown, fohn, Queen Victoria's char- 
acter of, 357. 

Brown, Sir William, his public li- 
brary in Liverpool, 16. 

Brussels, 218 ; Governmental inhe- 
sion to the Centennial Interna- 
tional, 219. 

Buchanan, President, 396. 

Cannes, scenery and climate of, 102. 
, 83 ; his preach- 
ing, 85. 
Catholic Cathedral in Westminster, 
282. 

409 



4io 



INDEX. 



Cat-show, 305. 

Caubert, M., of Paris, 195. 

Centennial Exposition, 11; et pas- 
sim. 

Ceramic art, 19. 

Champagne factory near Wiesbaden, 
215. 

Champs Elysees at night, 31. 

( hinge of feeling in Liverpool, 393. 

( hantilly races, 131. 

Chateau d'lf, 101. 

Chatham dock-yards, 175. 

Chester, old city of, 18. 

Chipping Norton, visit to, 285. 

Civil service in France and England, 

3i- 

Civil service supply association, low 
prices at, 276. 

Clark, Captain A. IE, of the Indi- 
ana, 407. 

Consulate, the Liverpool, 396. 

Conway, M. D., 72. 

Cook & Co., travelling agency of, 

403- 
Co-operative stores, first instituted 

at Rochdale, 83 ; in London, 276. 
Coram, Captain, 61. 
Crops, scientific succession of, 42. 
Crystal Palace at Sydenham, 67; 

education department, 70. 

Darnlev, Earl, strange proceedings 

of, 348. 
D'Aumale, Due, 132. 
Diary of the Siege of Paris, 26. 
Diorama of Siege of Paris, 196. 
Disraeli, B., buys the Khedive's 

Suez Canal shares, 374. 
Diving, feats of, 224. 
Dixon, W. H., 248. 
Dog show in London, 181 ; home 

for dogs, 184 ; Forrest's Dog of 

Montargis, 185. 
Domenec, Bishop of Alleghany, 403. 
Domesday Book, 164. 
Drama in London, 233. 
Drayton's " Agincourt," 342. 
Dudley, Thomas H., 212. 
Dulwich College, 48. 

Early London, relics of, 178. 
Egypt, the Khedive of, 374. 
England recognizes the Centennial, 

86. 
" English Empire in America," a 

curious old book, 334. 



Eton College, 56. 

Eugenie, Empress, visit to, at Chisel- 
hurst, 171. 

Exchange news-room, Liverpool, 15. 

Experiences of America by an Eng- 
lish clergyman, 58. 

Fairchild, Lucius, Consul at Liver- 

pool, 397. 
Fleury, Robert, French artist, 221. 
Florence, 112; American artists in, 

"3- 

Folkestone, 24. 

Forrest, Edwin, 50. 

Foundling Hospital, London, 61. 

Fountain for the Centennial, Bar- 

tholdi's, 138. 
Fourth of July in London, 186. 
Frankfort-on-the-Main, 205. 
French Chambers, debate in, 94; 

Vote for the Centennial, 193. 

Galignani's Messenger, 29. 

Garibaldi, G., interview with, 123. 

Genoa, 108 ; Bank of Saint George 
in, no. 

German Universities, 214. 

Germany, liberality of the govern- 
ment towards the Exposition, 200. 

( Iramme light, the, 352. 

Guildhall of London, 51. 

Hampton Court Palace, 37. 

Harrel, Captain J. V., his paintings 
of the old masters, 372. 

I lai inw-on-the-Hill, famous school 
at, 75. 

Healy, G. A., American painter in 
Paris, 228. 

Hebrews in London, 268. 

Heralds' College in London, its pur- 
pose and history, 152; description 
of, 154; curious documents pre- 
served in, 156; portraits in, 158. 

Holland House, Kensington, 38. 

Hotel life at home and abroad, 39. 

Houghton, Lord, 161. 

Icebergs, among the. 406. 

Iron-clads at Chatham, 176. 

Irving, Henry, English actor, 63, 236, 

304- 
Isle St. Marguerite, Marshal Ba- 

zaine's escape from, 103. 
Italian railwa) s, 112. 
Italy accedes to the Centennial, 330. 



INDEX. 



411 



Jacobi, Mr., head of the Commission 

in Berlin, 203. 
Jews m Parliament, 268. 
Journalism of London, 187. 

Kenihvorth, 22. 
Khedive of Egypt, 374. 
Krupp, Mr., the great gun-manu- 
facturer, 203. 

Laboulaye, M. Edouard, 227, 369. 

Lafayette's grandson, 125. 

Lavves, John Bennett, scientific farm- 
ing by, 41. 

Leamington, 23. 

Lincoln, President, portrait of, woven 
in silk, 98. 

Liverpool, statistics of, 14; its envi- 
rons and parks, 15 ; public institu- 
tions, 16 ; slave trade in, 17 ; com- 
merce of, 395. 

Living in London, manner and cost 

of, 39- 
Locomotives, American, in Russia, 

245- 
London Newspaper Fund dinner, 

159- 

London, streets of, 190; ancient and 
modern street-lighting, 192. 

London Times, its career, character, 
and power, 383 ; Walter, John, 
principal proprietor of, 384. 

Lord Mayor of London, 30 ; inaugu- 
ration feast, 51 ; official costume 
and insignia, 52. 

Luinnard, Colonel, his diorama of 
the Siege of Paris, 196 ; of the Sur- 
render at Yorktown, 224. 

Lyceum Theatre, London, 63; man- 
aged by H. L. Bateman, 234. 

Lyon, John, founds and endows 
Harrow school, 75. 

Lyons, industries of, 97 ; woven por- 
traits in, 98. 

Mackenzie, J. Campbell, his diary of 
the Siege of Paris, 27. 

MacMahon, President, 92. 

Manchester, interior of a cotton-fac- 
tory there, 81. 

Man in the lion Mask, 103. 

Manning, Cardinal, 283. 

Marco Polo, his portrait in mosaic, 
108. 

Marden Park, Surrey, 38. 

Marseilles, 101. 



Monaco, gambling in the Casino, 

107. 
Montefiore, Sir Moses, 269. 

National Assembly of France in ses- 
sion, 93 ; customs of the Chamber, 

94- 
National education, English and 

American contrasted, 278. 
National Museum, contributions to, 

98,303. 334- 
Nevin, Rev. Dr., of the American 

Church in R< me, 119. 
New York Herald'm Paris, 373. 
Nice, 105 ; its cosmopolitan visitors, 

106. 

Oak Lodge, Kensington, 38. 

Opera-house, the new, in Paris, 35. 

Owen, Mr. P. Cunliffe, his suggestion 
for a century hence, 333; resigns 
his office as head of the British 
Commission to Philadelphia, 379. 

Oxford, University of, 23. 

Panorama of the Surrender at York- 
tow n, 224. 

Paris, 25; boarding-house in, 25; 
Siege of, 26 ; present condition of, 
28 ; Centennial feeling in, 29 ; cost 
of living in, 35; in New War's 
week, 90; compared with London, 
91 ; alive to the Centennial, 92. 

Peabody buildings, London, 169. 

Penn, William, Ins founder's plan for 
Philadelphia, 148; letters from, 
167. 

Philadelphia ocean-steamers, 9. 

Politico-religious issues, 258. 

Potteries ol Staffordshire, 20. 

Puleston, J. H., 38, 178. 

Railway travel in France, 96 ; in Italy, 
112; in ( lermany, 200. 

Reade, ( lharles, the novelist, 40. 

rd Office in London, Domes- 
el. iv Book preserved there, 164. 

Relics oi earlj I .ondon, 178. 

m London, 318. 

Richmond, Duke of. and resignation 
ol P. ( 'unlitl. ( 'wen, 380. 

Rochdale, Lancashire, visit to, 81. 

Rome, American artists in, 116; 
American Church in, 118; three 
Powers in, 122 ; visit to Garibaldi, 
123. 



412 



INDEX. 



Rothschild family in England, 268. 

Russell, Dr. W. H., 162. 

Russia completes the Centennial 

circle, 338. 
Ryan, Dr., of Paris, 212. 

St. Alban's Abbey, 44. 

St. George's Hall, Liverpool, 15. 

Sale of American products abroad, 

238. 
Salisbury Cathedral, 324; Museum, 

328. 
Sandford, Colonel, 381. 
Sarum, Old and New, 321. 
Schenck, General, 87. 
Scientific farming, 41. 
Seamen, extravagance of, 397. 
Sea-shore, English season at the, 

270; at the French resorts, 271. 
Shakspeare's birth-place, 22. 
Short, Captain John, 397. 
Siege of Paris, diorama of, 195. 
Six hundred of Balaklava, the, 340. 
Slang, American and English, 261. 
Spa, meeting with young Philadel- 

phians in, 209 ; hotel habits of, 

210. 
Staffordshire potteries, 19. 
Stanley, Dean, 160. 
Steamer "Illinois," 9; "Indiana," 

398. 
Stonehenge, 320. 
Stratford-on-Avon, 21. 
Street-watering in Europe, 231. 
Streets of Paris, cleanliness of, 28. 
Suez Canal, England buys in the, 

374- 
Sunday in London, how observed, 

148, 230; newspapers published 

on, 150. 
Surrender at Yorktown, panorama 

of, 224. 
Switzerland, 351. 
Sydenham, Crystal Palace at, 67. 

Tamrack, Charles, professional nat- 
uralist, 46. 

Tennyson's " Charge of the Light 
Brigade," 340. 



The Times, London journal, 383. 
Torbert, Consul-General at Paris, 

92. 
Trollope, T. Adolphus, in Rome, 

119. 
Tucker, Stephen J., Rouge Croix 

Pursuivant, 157, 304. 
Tunis at the Exhibition, 359. 
Tupper, Martin Farquhar, extracts 

from his drama of " Washington," 

361. 
Turkish insolvency and American 

securities, 310; scene on 'Change, 

312. 

Uninvested money in London, 313. 
Universities of Germany, 214. 

Versailles, 93. 

Vesey, W. H., Consul at Nice, his 
recollections of Lafayette, 222. 

Victoria, Queen, her telegram to 
Captain Boyton, 130; her sketch 
of John Brown, 357; John Bright's 
high estimate of her character, 
358; opens the Parliament, 386; 
description of the scene, 388. 

Vienna Exposition, report of the 
British Commission on, 87. 

Walter, John, of The Time;:, 384. 

Washburne, Mr., United States Min- 
ister at Paris, his help to the Cen- 
tennial, 92. 

" Washington," Tupper's so-called 
drama, 361. 

Wealth of London, 267. 

Wells, David A., his letter to English 
manufacturers, 300. 

Weston, American pedestrian, victor 
in a contest in London, 392. 

Whitefield's chapel, 57; L. C. Be- 
van's lecture in, 58. 

Wiesbaden, city-railroad in, 217. 

WikofF, Henry, at Chiselhurst, 173. 

Windsor Castle, 53 ; its historical 
and picturesque surroundings, 56. 

Zoological Gardens, London, 47. 



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